There are few reports in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) that indicate the expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in tissues, serum, or saliva of patients with OSCC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mRNA expression and protein of MIF in tissues and serum, respectively, in OSCC patients and its association with the TNM stage. A cross-sectional study was performed. Serum and tissues of 25 patients with OSCC and 25 healthy control subjects (HCS) were included to evaluate the MIF mRNA expression and protein serum levels by real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively. Serum MIF levels were significantly higher in OSCC compared with control subjects. Furthermore, in the OSCC group, MIF was significantly increased in accordance with tumor disease stage (TNM III–IV), as well as in poorly differentiated tumors. The mRNA showed significantly higher levels in HCS, as well as in more differentiated tumors. The results of this study suggest that MIF could be an indicator of severity and progression of OSCC. Further studies are required to explore the role of MIF as a serological biomarker for OSCC.

很少有关于口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）的报道表明巨噬细胞迁移抑制因子（MIF）在OSCC患者的组织、血清或唾液中表达。本研究的目的是分别评估 OSCC 患者组织和血清中 MIF 的 mRNA 表达和蛋白及其与 TNM 分期的关系。进行了横断面研究。纳入 25 名 OSCC 患者和 25 名健康对照受试者 (HCS) 的血清和组织，分别通过实时 PCR 和 ELISA 评估 MIF mRNA 表达和蛋白血清水平。与对照组相比，OSCC 的血清 MIF 水平显着升高。此外，在 OSCC 组中，MIF 根据肿瘤疾病阶段（TNM III-IV）以及低分化肿瘤显着增加。mRNA 在 HCS 以及更多分化的肿瘤中显示出显着更高的水平。这项研究的结果表明，MIF 可能是 OSCC 严重程度和进展的指标。需要进一步的研究来探索 MIF 作为 OSCC 血清学生物标志物的作用。