Histology and immune impact in OSCC

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Pathology

Background:

• Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) prognosis is influenced by tumour characteristics and the tumour microenvironment.
• Understanding these factors is crucial for predicting patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prognostic value of histopathological features and immune cell phenotypes in OSCC.
• To correlate tumour characteristics and immune cell infiltration with patient survival.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 31 OSCC samples using immunohistochemistry for tumour budding, invasion, and immune cells (neutrophils, lymphocytes).
• Assessment of tumour patterns (cohesive, non-cohesive, dispersed) and immune cell infiltration at different tumour sites.
• Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to correlate features with patient outcomes.

Main Results:

• High tumour budding correlated with perineural/lymphovascular invasion and increased tumour thickness.
• Dispersed tumours showed greater invasion depth and thickness; non-cohesive tumours had more perineural invasion and CD66b+ cells at the invasive front.
• Increased CD66b+ counts, non-cohesive/dispersed patterns, and a higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were associated with shorter survival and mortality.

Conclusions:

• Tumour budding, perineural/lymphovascular invasion, and CD66b+ infiltration are indicators of aggressive OSCC behaviour.
• These histopathological and immune features serve as potential predictors for patient prognosis.