Tissue factor expression in salivary gland carcinoma: a potential novel therapeutic target for advanced disease.

BACKGROUND

Salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) are rare head and neck malignancies with diverse molecular profiles and treatment challenges. Tissue factor (TF), a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in cancer pathophysiology, has emerged as a potential therapeutic target.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to investigate TF expression in SGC and its correlation with clinicopathological data.

DESIGN

A cohort of 109 SGC patients who underwent curative surgery between 1990 and 2023 was analyzed.

METHODS

TF expression in primaries and lymph node (LN) metastases was assessed using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays. Histo-scores were calculated for cytoplasmic and membranous staining and correlated with clinicopathological data.

RESULTS

TF was expressed in 80.7% of samples with a mean combined -score of 29.6. Moderate and high expression was found in 22.9% of all cases. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), secretory carcinoma, and salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) showed the highest expression. A significantly higher membranous TF expression was observed in SDC LN metastases compared to primaries (71.1 vs 31.7,  = 0.012). Survival analysis revealed a trend toward worse outcomes for tumors with higher TF expression.

CONCLUSION

This study provides the first analysis of TF expression in SGC revealing its presence across various subtypes. The findings suggest potential for TF-targeted therapies in SGC treatment, particularly for metastatic SDC and MEC. The trend toward worse survival outcomes in high TF-expressing tumors warrants further investigation.