CASP3 and neoplasm: In the present study, tumor and adjacent non-tumor epithelium (ANTE) samples were immunohistochemically analyzed, evaluating the expression of the following markers: ki-67, to determine the global fraction of proliferative cells as indirect evidence of self-sufficient tumor cell growth; p53, the main tumor suppressor protein; caspase 3, apoptotic marker; and Bcl-2, anti-apoptotic marker.