High tumor budding activity may predict poor prognosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) which is the most common carcinoma of the respiratory system after lung carcinomas is graded by the World Health Organization (WHO) into three groups as grades 1, 2, and 3. This system does not correlate with the prognosis and has a low reproducibility among the pathologists. Searching for a new grading system, in this study, we investigated the relationship between tumor budding and histomorphological parameters and survival status. We examined the new grading system based on cell nest size and tumor budding.

Partial and total laryngectomy materials of 130 patients diagnosed as laryngeal SCC between 2012 and 2018 in our clinic were evaluated retrospectively by two pathologists. Tumor budding activity and cell nests were scored and a new score was obtained by summing the scores. According to the scores obtained, a new grading system was created.

There was a statistically significant difference between the tumor budding activity and the overall and disease-free survival times of the groups. The overall and disease-free survival time of the patients with high tumor budding significantly reduced. Tumor budding was found to be low in the presence of an intense lymphocytic host response (P < 0.05). There was no relationship between the new grade system and cell nest size and life expectancy (P > 0.05).

Tumor budding provides significant clues in predicting the life expectancy of the patients. Therefore, tumor budding might be a component of new grading systems and should take place in pathology reports.