Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan.
Research Creation Support Center, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan.
Clin Exp Dent Res. 2022 Feb;8(1):152-159. doi: 10.1002/cre2.477. Epub 2021 Jul 28.
Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignancy in the oral cavity. Moreover, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been recently implicated in the onset of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are Forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) positive and are normally involved in the mechanism by which organisms escape attacks from their own immune system; however, in tumors, these cells are known to suppress antitumor immunity and block the attack against tumors. The present study evaluated the associations of the number of Tregs and HPV infection with prognoses in patients with OSCC.
Samples from 106 patients diagnosed with OSCC were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining for the identification of FoxP3+ Tregs and HPV. The relationship between the observed number of Foxp3-positive cells, the presence/absence of HPV infection and associations with clinicopathological indicators were analyzed.
Tissues were classified into high (High) and low (Low) Treg count groups, with 69 patients classified as High and 37 classified as Low. The prognoses were significantly better in the Low group compared with the High group (p = 0.04). FoxP3 expression may have had some effect on nodal metastases (p = 0.09). HPV antigens were detected in 65 patients, but there were no significant associations with prognosis (p = 0.34). HPV-infected tumors were more common in the gums and tongues than in the lips, cheeks, and floor of the mouth (p = 0.05).
These results indicate that Tregs in tumor sites are associated with worsened prognoses of patients with OSCC and suggest potential therapies targeting Tregs in OSCC.
鳞状细胞癌是口腔中最常见的恶性肿瘤。此外，人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）感染最近被认为与口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）的发生有关。调节性 T 细胞（Tregs）是叉头框 P3（FoxP3）阳性的，通常参与机体逃避自身免疫系统攻击的机制；然而，在肿瘤中，这些细胞被认为抑制抗肿瘤免疫并阻止对肿瘤的攻击。本研究评估了 Tregs 数量和 HPV 感染与 OSCC 患者预后的关系。
通过免疫组织化学染色评估 106 例 OSCC 患者的样本，以鉴定 FoxP3+Tregs 和 HPV。分析观察到的 Foxp3 阳性细胞数量、HPV 感染的存在/缺失与临床病理指标之间的关系。
将组织分为高（High）和低（Low）Treg 计数组，69 例患者分为 High 组，37 例患者分为 Low 组。与 High 组相比，Low 组的预后明显更好（p=0.04）。FoxP3 表达可能对淋巴结转移有一定影响（p=0.09）。在 65 例患者中检测到 HPV 抗原，但与预后无显著相关性（p=0.34）。HPV 感染的肿瘤在牙龈和舌头上比在嘴唇、脸颊和口底更常见（p=0.05）。
这些结果表明，肿瘤部位的 Tregs 与 OSCC 患者预后恶化有关，并提示针对 OSCC 中 Tregs 的潜在治疗方法。
