Sentinel lymph node biopsies in early stage oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma: a retrospective single-centre experience.

The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse a consecutive series of patients with oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma who had had sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) at our hospital during 2008-2017. A total of 70 patients with clinically and radiologically confirmed primary oral (n=67) or oropharyngeal (n=3) carcinoma, with no signs of metastatic lymph nodes preoperatively (clinically N0) were included. Patients' clinical and personal data, characteristics of the tumours, sentinel lymph node (SLN) status and outcomes were recorded. Eight patients had invaded SLN. Two patients with clear sentinel lymph node biopsies had recurrences in the cervical lymph nodes with no new primary tumour as origin. The negative predictive value (NPV) and sensitivity for SLNB were 97% and 80%, respectively. The depth of invasion was an individual predictor for cervical lymph node metastasis (p=0.043). Single photo emission computed tomography (SPECT) detected fewer SLN in patients with invaded lymph nodes than in patients with clear lymph nodes (p=0.018). Our data support the use of SLNB as a minimally invasive method for staging the cervical lymph nodes among patients with cN0 oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma. Our results further confirm that greater depth of invasion is associated with cervical lymph node metastases.

A simple novel prognostic model for early stage oral tongue cancer.

The prognostication of patient outcome is one of the greatest challenges in the management of early stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). This study introduces a simple histopathological model for the prognostication of survival in patients with early OTSCC. A total of 311 cases (from Finland and Brazil) with clinically evaluated early stage OTSCC (cT1-T2cN0cM0) were included in this multicentre retrospective study. Tumour budding (B) and depth of invasion (D) were scored on haematoxylin-eosin-stained cancer slides. The cut-off point for tumour budding was set at 5 buds (low <5; high ≥5) and for depth of invasion at 4mm (low <4mm; high ≥4mm). The scores of B and D were combined into one model: the BD predictive model. On multivariate analysis, a high risk score (BD score 2) correlated significantly with loco-regional recurrence (P=0.033) and death due to OTSCC (P<0.001) in early stage OTSCC. The new BD model is a promising prognostic tool to identify those patients with aggressive cases of early stage OTSCC who might benefit from multimodality treatment.

High CIP2A immunoreactivity is an independent prognostic indicator in early-stage tongue cancer.

BACKGROUND: No reliable prognostic markers exist for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, and its prognosis can even in early stages be unpredictable and survival poor despite treatment. A potential marker is oncoprotein cancerous inhibitor of PP2A (CIP2A), which acts as a prognostic marker in gastric and non-small cell lung cancers. METHODS: We collected specimens of 73 stage T1N0M0 and T2N0M0 oral squamous cell carcinomas of the tongue, as well as samples from normal oral mucosa, dysplastic lesions, and invasive carcinomas (n=39). All samples were stained for CIP2A by immunohistochemistry. Survival curves were constructed according to the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazard model served for univariate and multivariate survival analysis. RESULTS: High CIP2A immunoreactivity predicted poor survival in tongue cancer patients (P=0.027, logrank test). In multivariate survival analysis, CIP2A was an independent prognostic factor (HR 2.02, 95% confidence interval 1.07-3.82, P=0.030). Cytoplasmic CIP2A expression was higher in severe dysplasia than in mild dysplasia. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that high CIP2A expression characterises aggressive disease. Acting as a prognostic marker it might be of help when choosing patients for adjuvant treatment in tongue cancer patients.

Bmi-1 expression predicts prognosis in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue is poor and it would be beneficial to find prognostic markers to better adjust treatment. Bmi-1 controls cell cycle and self-renewal of tissue stem cells, transcription factor c-myc affects cell proliferation and apoptosis, and Snail regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The expression of these markers has been connected to prognosis in many cancer types. METHODS: Bmi-1, c-myc, and Snail expressions were studied in our material consisting of 73 primarily T1N0M0 oral tongue carcinoma patients. We compared the immunoexpressions of Bmi-1, c-myc, and Snail with clinical parameters including the degree of histological differentiation, tumour size, TNM classification, depth of invasion, and resection margins. In addition, survival analyses were performed, comparing disease-free survival time with the registered protein expression of the markers mentioned above. RESULTS: A significant correlation between Bmi-1 protein expression and recurrence (log-rank test, P=0.005) was detected. Snail and c-myc expression did not correlate with prognosis. Snail expression correlated with histopathological grade (Fisher's exact test, P=0.007) and with the invasion depth of tumours (chi(2)-test, P=0.037). CONCLUSION: Negative Bmi-1 immunoexpression might serve as a marker of poor prognosis in oral tongue carcinoma patients.