Student Research Committee, Alborz University of Medical Sciences.
Pathology Department, Cancer Institute, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex.
Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2022 Apr 1;30(4):284-290. doi: 10.1097/PAI.0000000000001006.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small group of cells resistant to therapy and play a major role in tumor progression, recurrence, and poor clinical outcomes of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the association of CSC markers with clinicopathologic features and survival in patients with salivary gland carcinomas (SGCs).
The medical records of 48 patients affected by mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and 47 patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) were reviewed retrospectively. SOX2, CD133, and CD44 expression was appraised by immunohistochemistry and statistically analyzed to weigh the correlation between these markers and patients' clinicopathologic features and tumor outcomes.
In AdCC patients showing poor outcomes, a trend toward a high expression of CD133 and CD44 and low expression of SOX2 was observed, while in MEC patients experiencing the same outcomes, there was a trend toward a high expression of CD44 and low expression of CD133 and SOX2. Only the increase of MEC histopathologic grade was statistically significant with decreased SOX2 expression. Distant metastasis in AdCC patients, tumor grade, lymph node involvement, and local recurrence in MEC patients had significant correlations with patients' survival.
Besides the significant association between low SOX2 expression and higher grades of MEC, we found no statistically significant correlation between the studied CSC markers and patients' survival or clinicopathologic features. Therefore, a larger sample size with long-term follow-up is beneficial for thorough investigations toward the main role of CSCs in patients with SGCs.
癌症干细胞（CSCs）是一组对治疗有抵抗力的细胞，在肿瘤进展、复发和患者临床结局不良中起主要作用。本研究旨在评估 CSC 标志物与唾液腺癌（SGCs）患者的临床病理特征和生存的相关性。
回顾性分析了 48 例黏液表皮样癌（MEC）和 47 例腺样囊性癌（AdCC）患者的病历。采用免疫组织化学法评价 SOX2、CD133 和 CD44 的表达，并进行统计学分析，以权衡这些标志物与患者临床病理特征和肿瘤结局的相关性。
在预后不良的 AdCC 患者中，CD133 和 CD44 的高表达和 SOX2 的低表达呈趋势，而在 MEC 患者中，CD44 的高表达和 CD133 的低表达和 SOX2 的低表达呈趋势。只有 MEC 组织学分级的增加与 SOX2 表达的降低呈统计学显著相关。AdCC 患者的远处转移、肿瘤分级、淋巴结受累以及 MEC 患者的局部复发与患者的生存均有显著相关性。
除了 SOX2 低表达与 MEC 高分级之间的显著相关性外，我们未发现研究的 CSC 标志物与患者生存或临床病理特征之间存在统计学显著相关性。因此，进行更大样本量、长期随访的研究有利于深入探讨 CSCs 在 SGCs 患者中的主要作用。
