Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany.
Oncotarget. 2022 Oct 20;13:1166-1173. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.28299.
Nectin-4 has been successfully established as a target molecule in locally advanced and metastatic bladder cancer. An antibody-drug conjugate (enfortumab-vedotin) directed against nectin-4 has shown marked tumor remission rates in this tumor type, which is known for high expression rates of nectin-4. As head and neck cancer and urothelial carcinomas share morphological and molecular similarities, we aimed to evaluate Nectin-4 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
A previously described and clinically characterized cohort of HNSCC ( = 159) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry for Nectin-4 expression. The expression data was correlated to clinico-pathological parameters including patient outcome.
Nectin-4 was found in 86.2% of HNSCC, with medium/high expression seen in 32.7% of cases. Non smokers and p16 positive HNSCC showed a higher expression of Nectin-4 ( < 0.005). There was no correlation of Nectin-4 with grading or tumor stage. Nectin-4 positive tumors showed a significant better survival (log rank = 0.006).
Similar to urothelial carcinoma, Nectin-4 is found in the majority of HNSCC, which clearly warrants further studies to clarify if HNSCC also respond to targeted therapy with enfortumab-vedotin. Moreover, expression of Nectin-4 is associated with HPV infection and may serve as a prognostic marker in HNSCC.
Nectin-4 已成功确立为局部晚期和转移性膀胱癌的靶分子。一种针对 nectin-4 的抗体药物偶联物（enfortumab-vedotin）在这种肿瘤类型中显示出显著的肿瘤缓解率，该肿瘤类型已知 nectin-4 的表达率很高。由于头颈部癌和尿路上皮癌具有形态和分子相似性，我们旨在评估头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）中 Nectin-4 的表达。
通过免疫组织化学对头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）的先前描述和临床特征队列（n = 159）进行了分析，以评估 Nectin-4 的表达。将表达数据与临床病理参数相关联，包括患者结局。
Nectin-4 在 86.2%的 HNSCC 中存在，其中 32.7%的病例中等/高表达。非吸烟者和 p16 阳性 HNSCC 显示出更高的 Nectin-4 表达（<0.005）。Nectin-4 与分级或肿瘤分期之间没有相关性。Nectin-4 阳性肿瘤的生存情况明显更好（对数秩检验 = 0.006）。
与尿路上皮癌类似，Nectin-4 在大多数 HNSCC 中存在，这显然需要进一步研究以明确 HNSCC 是否也对 enfortumab-vedotin 的靶向治疗有反应。此外，Nectin-4 的表达与 HPV 感染相关，可能作为 HNSCC 的预后标志物。
