Clinical value of NKT cells and tumor abnormal proteins in stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ B head and neck squamous cell carcinoma / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of changes in peripheral NKT cells and tumor abnormal proteins (TAPs) in stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ B head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) before and after radiotherapy. Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed using the data of 101 HNSCC patients, who were confirmed from January 2019 to December 2021 and treated with radical and postoperative radiotherapy. Flow cytometry and the agglutination method were used to determine the proportion of NKT cells in peripheral blood and the TAP coagulation area, respectively before and after radiotherapy. The relationships of clinical features and the cellular features such as changes in NKT cells and ATPs with local recurrence and long-term survival were analyzed. The χ2 test or Fisher′s exact test was employed for intergroup comparison. The Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox model were utilized for univariate and multivariate survival prognosis analyses, respectively. The bivariate Pearson linear correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between NKT and TAP. Results:The median follow-up time of the whole group was 25 months. Regarding the 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates, the local-regional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) rates were 76.2%, 67.3%, and 64.4%, respectively, the distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates 91.1%, 90.1%, and 89.1%, respectively, and the progression-free survival (PFS) rates 69.3%, 59.4%, and 55.4%, respectively. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was influenced by age, surgery, N stage, TNM stage, NKT cell ratio, and TAP, while the 3-year PFS rate was affected by TAP, sex, N stage, and TNM stage. Multivariate analysis suggests that independent adverse prognostic factors for HNSCC included sex, age, N stage, NKT cells, and TAP ( HR=3.00, 2.35, 2.27, 2.02, 2.56, P<0.05). The correlation analysis indicates a positive correlation between NKT cells and TAP ( r=0.26, P=0.009). Conclusions:Stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ B HNSCC treated with radical and postoperative radiotherapy is subjected to a high recurrence rate. Further research is required for the expression levels of NKT cells and TAP in peripheral blood, as well as the influence of their changes during radiotherapy on the 3-year OS, PFS, and LRRFS rates of locally advanced HNSCC.