Abstract: Objective To study the clinical significance of ANO1 mRNA and protein in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to find the biological foundation of making a proper treatment for OSCC. Methods The specimens of 81 patients with OSCC were examined by using SP immunohistochemistry and northern blot.The expression of ANO1 protein and clinical and pathological feature were determined and analyzed.The expression of ANO1 protein in head and neck cancer cell lines were examined by western blot.Results ANO1 mRNA and protein expression were significantly higher in OSCC than those in normal oral tissue(P＜0.05), and showed significant correlation with clinical stage of OSCC (P＜0.05) and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). No statistical significance was observed in of the ANO1 expression in histological grades and patient sex, age (P＞0.05). The lowest endogenous ANO1 was expressed in Hep-2 cell line. The most endogenous ANO1 was expressed in SCC-25 cell line. Conclusion ANO1 may be involved in the occurrence, metastasis and progress of OSCC. Analysis of the expression characteristics of ANO1 and clinic and pathological features of OSCC may better conduct clinical therapy of OSCC.

Key words: oral cancer, ANO1, Northern blot