A Practical Method for Detecting Prognostic CD57+ T Cells in Head and Neck Cancer
Brianna Brammer1,2, Brendan L C Kinney1,2, Vikash Kansal1,2
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Background:
Recurrence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) affects nearly half of patients and greatly reduces survival. There are currently no well-established mechanisms to predict which HNSCC patients will experience disease recurrence. We have previously shown that an elevated proportion of highly differentiated, CD57+ effector memory T (HD TEMRA) cells in circulation is associated with early recurrence and poor locoregional disease control in HNSCC patients.
Methods:
Here, we present refined flow cytometry panels utilizing fewer fluorescent antibodies that retain the prognostic value of HD TEMRA cells in predicting HNSCC recurrence.
Results:
In our cohort of surgically treated HNSCC patients, identifying HD TEMRA cells via flow cytometry as live CD8+ CD28- CD57+ cells effectively predicted disease recurrence. When assessing this cohort by disease subsite, we found that for patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, identifying HD TEMRA cells by CD8+ CD57+ alone was sufficient for predicting locoregional disease recurrence.
Conclusions:
These refined panels enhance the clinical utility of HD TEMRA proportion as a biomarker due to their technical and analytic ease. Implementation of HD TEMRA cell proportion as a clinical biomarker could aid in personalized HNSCC treatment planning.
