Link between immunoexpression of hMLH1 and hMSH2 proteins and clinical-epidemiological aspects of actinic cheilitis

Background: the studies found in the literature associate the immunoexpression of hmlh1 and hmsh2 proteins with histologic aspects,but do not correlate it with clinical and epidemiological data. objective: to evaluate the immunoexpression of hmlh1 and hmsh2 in actinic cheilitis,correlating it with clinical characteristics. methods: we analyzed 40 cases. histological and immunohistochemical analyses were performed. the following clinical variables were evaluated: gender,age range,ethnicity,clinical aspect and occupational sunlight exposure. statistical evaluation included the student t-test,while the significance level was set at 5%. results: greater immunoexpression of hmlh1 and hmsh2 was observed in females,individuals aged over 40,and mixedrace/ black patients. furthermore,the immunoexpression of these proteins was greater in actinic cheilitis with a white-colored appearance and in patients without occupational sunlight exposure. no statistical differences were observed for the variables studied. conclusion: this study uncovered variations of hmlh1 and hmsh2 protein expression upon evaluation of clinical aspects in actinic cheilitis. © 2016 by anais brasileiros de dermatologia.