Clinic of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 25;11(1):4578. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-84019-w.
Treatment of locally advanced, unresectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) often yields only modest results with radiochemotherapy (RCT) as standard of care. Prognostic features related to outcome upon RCT might be highly valuable to improve treatment. Monocarboxylate transporters-1 and -4 (MCT1/MCT4) were evaluated as potential biomarkers. A cohort of HNSCC patients without signs for distant metastases was assessed eliciting 82 individuals eligible whereof 90% were diagnosed with locally advanced stage IV. Tumor specimens were stained for MCT1 and MCT4 in the cell membrane by immunohistochemistry. Obtained data were evaluated with respect to overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Protein expression of MCT1 and MCT4 in cell membrane was detected in 16% and 85% of the tumors, respectively. Expression of both transporters was not statistically different according to the human papilloma virus (HPV) status. Positive staining for MCT1 (n = 13, negative in n = 69) strongly worsened PFS with a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.1 (95%-confidence interval 1.6-5.7, p < 0.001). OS was likewise affected with a HR of 3.8 (2.0-7.3, p < 0.001). Multivariable Cox regression confirmed these findings. We propose MCT1 as a promising biomarker in HNSCC treated by primary RCT.
局部晚期、不可切除的头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）的治疗常采用放化疗（RCT）作为标准治疗方法，但效果仅为中等。与 RCT 结果相关的预后特征对于改善治疗可能具有重要价值。单羧酸转运蛋白-1 和 -4（MCT1/MCT4）被评估为潜在的生物标志物。本研究评估了一组无远处转移迹象的 HNSCC 患者，共纳入 82 名符合条件的患者，其中 90%诊断为局部晚期 IV 期。采用免疫组织化学方法检测肿瘤标本细胞膜中 MCT1 和 MCT4 的蛋白表达。根据总生存期（OS）和无进展生存期（PFS）评估获得的数据。分别在 16%和 85%的肿瘤中检测到 MCT1 和 MCT4 的膜蛋白表达。两种转运蛋白的表达与人类乳头瘤病毒（HPV）状态无关。MCT1 阳性染色（n=13，n=69 阴性）强烈恶化了 PFS，风险比（HR）为 3.1（95%置信区间 1.6-5.7，p<0.001）。OS 也受到影响，HR 为 3.8（2.0-7.3，p<0.001）。多变量 Cox 回归证实了这些发现。我们提出 MCT1 作为原发性 RCT 治疗 HNSCC 的有前途的生物标志物。
