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Updated: May 9, 2026
Intramucosal Inoculation of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells in Mice for Tumor Immune Profiling and Treatment Response Assessment
Published on: April 22, 2019
Prognostic markers in stage I oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma
Johannes Dunkel1, Samuli Vaittinen, Reidar Grénman
1Medicity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Turku Doctoral Programme of Biomedical Sciences, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Objectives/Hypothesis:
Early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) treatment is based on anatomic location, clinical TNM staging, and histological grade. It is a heterogeneous disease group. Classification of patients with OSCC by immunohistochemical analysis of established oncoproteins and evaluate disease course was our primary objective. Characterization of stage I OSCC patients in Southwest Finland was our secondary objective.
Study Design:
Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor specimens and retrospective analysis of patient data of the patient treated in Turku University Hospital for T1N0M0 OSCC during the years 2000-2004.
Methods:
Paraffin-embedded tumor specimens from 35 OSCC patients were collected and analyzed for HIF-1α, CD44, p16, Ki67, and podoplanin by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinical findings.
Results:
Tumoral CD44 and HIF1-α expression levels, in combination, predicted 5-year disease-free survival. Reduced expression of CD44 and elevated expression of HIF1-α is associated with the lowest probability of disease-free survival compared to the population as a whole (P < .001 in Kaplan-Meier analysis). Patients with grade I tumors demonstrated improved disease-specific survival compared to those with grade II tumors (P = .027). No association was seen between p16 expression, Ki67 labeling index, or podoplanin expression and prognosis in our 35 specimens.
Conclusions:
HIF-1α and CD44 immunohistochemical detection could potentially serve as a prognostic tool in therapy selection for early-stage OSCC.
Level Of Evidence:
2b.
