High ROR1 Expression Is Associated With Poor Differentiation and Perineural Invasion in Cutaneous Squamous Cell...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Dermatology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) presents poor outcomes for metastatic or recurrent cases.
• Existing therapies like immune checkpoint inhibitors have limitations.
• Receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in other cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate ROR1 expression in cSCC.
• To investigate ROR1 as a biomarker for tumor aggressiveness.
• To explore ROR1's association with clinicopathologic features and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Immunofluorescence analysis of ROR1 expression in 360 cSCC tissue microarray samples.
• Quantification of fluorescence intensity.
• Correlation analysis with clinicopathologic features and patient survival data.

Main Results:

• High ROR1 expression was found in 42.5% of cSCC samples, mainly at invasive fronts.
• Elevated ROR1 levels significantly correlated with poor tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and perineural invasion.
• While ROR1 expression trended with worse survival, statistical significance was not reached.

Conclusions:

• ROR1 is a novel marker associated with aggressive cSCC features, including poor differentiation and spread.
• ROR1 shows potential as a prognostic biomarker for cSCC.
• ROR1 represents a promising therapeutic target for advanced cSCC, warranting further investigation.