Immunoexpression pattern of TLR3 and TLR7 in minor salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma and its role in prognosis

Aleksi Rytkönen ¹, Mine Eray ², Auli Suominen ³

¹Department of Pathology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; Department of Oral Pathology and Radiology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
²Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
³Department of Community Dentistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
⁴Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
⁵Research Programs Unit, Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
⁶Department of Oral Pathology and Radiology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Research Programs Unit, Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
⁷Department of Oral Pathology and Radiology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

⁰Department of Pathology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; Department of Oral Pathology and Radiology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.

Cancer Treatment and Research Communications +

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May 29, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) expression in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) correlates with higher recurrence and poorer survival. TLR3 and TLR7 show an inverse relationship in ACC tumors.

Area Of Science

Oncology
Immunology
Pathology

Background

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of salivary glands presents a poor prognosis and high metastatic potential.
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key immune activators with documented roles in both promoting and suppressing tumor growth.

Purpose Of The Study

To investigate the expression and clinical relevance of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) in minor salivary gland ACC.
To determine if TLR3 and TLR7 expression correlates with clinicopathological factors and patient survival.

Main Methods

Analysis of TLR3 and TLR7 immunoexpression in 46 minor salivary gland ACC samples.
Statistical evaluation using chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test to correlate immunoexpression with clinicopathological factors.

Main Results

Both TLR3 and TLR7 were found to be expressed in the cytoplasm of ACC cells, with heterogeneous patterns.
Stronger TLR7 immunoexpression was significantly associated with increased recurrence rates and decreased disease-specific survival (DSS).
An inverse correlation was observed between TLR3 and TLR7 immunopositivity, suggesting a potential interplay.

Conclusions

TLR3 and TLR7 are expressed in minor salivary gland ACC.
TLR7 may serve as an independent prognostic biomarker for predicting recurrence and DSS in ACC patients.

Keywords:

Adenoid cystic carcinoma Immunohistochemistry Prognosis Toll-like receptor