Lymphatic Vessel Density or Area Are Not Reliable Prognostic Factors in Oral Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Cancer Research
• Pathology

Background:

• Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) frequently metastasizes via lymphatic vessels.
• Lymphangiogenesis may enhance tumor cell dissemination by increasing tumor-lymphatic interactions.
• The prognostic significance of lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and lymphatic vessel area (LVA) in OTSCC is inconclusive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association of tumor-associated LVD and LVA with clinical outcomes and pathological characteristics in OTSCC.
• To determine if LVD and LVA can serve as prognostic markers for OTSCC patients.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of tumor samples from 121 OTSCC patients using D2-40 immunohistochemical staining.
• Calculation of mean LVD and LVA from peritumoural hotspots.
• Examination of relationships to clinical-pathological data and 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) using cross-tabulation, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression analyses.

Main Results:

• High LVD was more prevalent in well/moderately differentiated tumors compared to poorly differentiated ones (p=0.017).
• No significant associations were found between LVD or LVA and other clinical-pathological variables.
• Neither low LVD nor LVA significantly impacted 5-year DSS in univariate or multivariate analyses.

Conclusions:

• LVD and LVA did not predict prognosis in this OTSCC cohort.
• Further standardized studies are necessary to understand the role of lymphatic vessels in the tumor microenvironment.
• The prognostic significance of lymphatic vessels in OTSCC remains to be fully elucidated.