Cheng Wang1,2, Zhengxian Huang1,2, Ming Zhang1,2, Gan Xiong1,2, Xiaohua Chen2,3, Nan Xie2,3. 1. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. 2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. 3. Department of Oral Pathology, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Tertiary lymphoid structures have been observed in several solid tumors and suggested to be a favorable prognostic factor. However, the prognostic value of tertiary lymphoid structures for early clinical stage (cT1/2N0) oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of tertiary lymphoid structures in cT1/2N0 stage OTSCC. METHODS: Ninety-seven patients with cT1/2N0 stage OTSCC were enrolled in this study. Tertiary lymphoid structures were assessed in paraffin sections with H.E and immunohistochemistry staining. Overall and disease-free survivals were evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess their prognostic value. RESULTS: Tertiary lymphoid structures can be readily identified in cT1/2N0 stage OTSCC, including early tertiary lymphoid structures, primary follicle-like tertiary lymphoid structures, and secondary follicle-like tertiary lymphoid structures. Its frequency in OTSCC was 76.3% in the cohort. The presence of tertiary lymphoid structures was associated with favorable overall survival (p = 0.0176) and disease-free survival (p = 0.0183) in early clinical stage OTSCC. Cox regression models showed that tertiary lymphoid structures can serve as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (HR = 0.434, 95% CI = 0.212-0.886, p = 0.022) and disease-free survival (HR = 0.459, 95% CI = 0.235-0.897, p = 0.023) in early clinical stage OTSCC. The group of low maturity of TLS combined with pN positive had the lowest overall survival (p = 0.0094) and disease-free survival (p = 0.0028). CONCLUSIONS: Tertiary lymphoid structures are frequently observed in OTSCC. It is associated with a favorable prognosis for patients with cT1/2N0 stage OTSCC and may be used to predict immunotherapy sensitivity.
BACKGROUND: Tertiary lymphoid structures have been observed in several solid tumors and suggested to be a favorable prognostic factor. However, the prognostic value of tertiary lymphoid structures for early clinical stage (cT1/2N0) oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of tertiary lymphoid structures in cT1/2N0 stage OTSCC. METHODS: Ninety-seven patients with cT1/2N0 stage OTSCC were enrolled in this study. Tertiary lymphoid structures were assessed in paraffin sections with H.E and immunohistochemistry staining. Overall and disease-free survivals were evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess their prognostic value. RESULTS: Tertiary lymphoid structures can be readily identified in cT1/2N0 stage OTSCC, including early tertiary lymphoid structures, primary follicle-like tertiary lymphoid structures, and secondary follicle-like tertiary lymphoid structures. Its frequency in OTSCC was 76.3% in the cohort. The presence of tertiary lymphoid structures was associated with favorable overall survival (p = 0.0176) and disease-free survival (p = 0.0183) in early clinical stage OTSCC. Cox regression models showed that tertiary lymphoid structures can serve as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (HR = 0.434, 95% CI = 0.212-0.886, p = 0.022) and disease-free survival (HR = 0.459, 95% CI = 0.235-0.897, p = 0.023) in early clinical stage OTSCC. The group of low maturity of TLS combined with pN positive had the lowest overall survival (p = 0.0094) and disease-free survival (p = 0.0028). CONCLUSIONS: Tertiary lymphoid structures are frequently observed in OTSCC. It is associated with a favorable prognosis for patients with cT1/2N0 stage OTSCC and may be used to predict immunotherapy sensitivity.
Authors: Maurice van Duijvenvoorde; Sarah Derks; Idris Bahce; C René Leemans; Rieneke van de Ven; Marieke F Fransen Journal: Clin Transl Immunology Date: 2022-01-10