Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025.
World J Methodol. Jun 20, 2025; 15(2): 94514
Published online Jun 20, 2025. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v15.i2.94514
Table 1 Staining intensity and grading of matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression
Grade
Interpretation
0No positivity
MildUp to 10% of positive tumor cells
Moderate11%-50% of positive tumor cells
IntenseAbove 50% of positive tumor cells
Table 2 Staining and grading of matrix metalloproteinase-13
Grade
Interpretation
0No staining of the tumor or stromal cells
1+Mildly (< 50%) positive staining of the tumor cells and/or weak staining of stromal cells
2+Moderately (> 50%) positive staining of the tumor cells and/or moderate staining of stromal cells
3+Intense staining of the tumor cells and/or strong staining of stromal cells. No normal epithelial cells were stained
Table 3 Gender frequency distribution of cases

Male
Female
Total
Cases251540
Table 4 Site distribution of cases
Site
No of cases
Percentage
Buccal mucosa2050
Buccal vestibule012.5
Tongue1640
Hard palate037.5
Total40100.0
Table 5 Bryne’s histological grading of oral squamous cell carcinoma cases
Grade
No of cases
Percentage
I1230.0
II2562.5
III37.5
Total40100.0
Table 6 Comparison of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression
MetastasisMMP-9
MMP-13
Intense
Mild
Moderate
Intense
Nil
Mild
Moderate
Absent15122268
5.6%27.8%66.7%11.1%11.1%33.3%44.4%
Present06161759
0.0%27.3%72.7%4.5%31.8%22.7%40.9%
Total11128391117
2.5%27.5%70.0%7.5%22.5%27.5%42.5%
Table 7 Association between tumor size with matrix metalloproteinase-9 and matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression
MMP-13
MMP-9
Tumor sizeT1T2T3T4T1T2T3T4
None1300
Mild56005500
Moderate111102600
Intense182111731
χ2 (P) value11.02 (0.27)11.26 (0.80)
Table 8 Association between node involvement and matrix metalloproteinase-9 and matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression
MMP-9
MMP-13
Mild
Moderate
Intense
Mild
Moderate
Intense
Node involvementNo involvement9611020
Nodes nearby121911011
Distant nodes002011
χ2 (P) value26.17 (0.000)29.18 (0.000)
Table 9 Association of presence of metastasis with matrix metalloproteinase-9 and matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression
MMP9
MMP13



Mild
Moderate
Intense
None
Mild
Moderate
Intense
Presence of metastasisPresence1221011112
Absence96141020
χ2 (P) value26.03 (0.000)29.16 (0.000)
Table 10 Association between tumor size, grade of node involvement, and presence of metastasis
Tumor size
Good
Moderate
Poor
χ2 (P) value
T12604.31 (0.63)
T210153
T3030
T4010
Node involvement
No involvement41203.55 (0.47)
Nodes nearby7123
Distant node110
Presence of metastasis
Presence81332.88 (0.23)
Absence4120