The Comparison of Periostin Levels in Gingival Crevicular Fluid among Patients with Endometrial Cancer and Chronic Periodontitis

Background: Serum periostin in cancer patients and chronic periodontitis (CP) is the lowest and could be linked to the association between CP and endometrial cancer (EC). Periostin is a matricellular protein secreted by fibroblasts associated with cancer and is also secreted in chronic inflammatory conditions such as CP. Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the GCF periostin level among CP, EC, and healthy people and the evaluation of the plausible role of periostin in this association. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 80 participants including 20 people with both EC and CP (EC-CP), 20 only CP cases (H-CP), 20 only EC cases (EC-H), and 20 healthy people (H-H). Then, the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) periostin levels for all the participants were measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Finally, the data were analyzed using Stata software version 11. Results: The mean value of periostin levels was significantly different between groups (p < 0.001) and the lowest and highest mean was observed in EC-CP and H-H groups, respectively. The mean of GCF periostin before treatment in the EC-CP group was 2.14 which was lower than that after treatment; however, this difference was not significant (p = 0.086). Also, the mean of GCF periostin in the H-CP group was 3.96 before non-surgical treatment and after treatment it significantly raised to 6.79 (p = 0.049). Conclusion: Periostin is a potential biomarker for CP diagnosis in EC patients and also can be used to prevent CP. However, further studies are required to confirm this role.