Immunologic “Cold” Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Head and Neck Are Associated With an Unfavorable Prognosis

Frontiers in Medicine

article

Julika Ribbat-Idel¹  Barbara Wollenberg²  Christian Idel³  Sven Perner¹  Patrick Kuppler¹  Luise Klapper¹  Rosemarie Krupar⁴  Christian Watermann¹  Finn-Ole Paulsen¹  Anne Offermann¹  Karl-Ludwig Bruchhage³ 

[1] Institute of Pathology, University of Luebeck and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein;Department of Otorhinolaryngology, München rechts der Isar Technical University Munich;Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Luebeck;Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center

关键词: HNSCC;    FFPE;    tumor microenvironment;    hot;    cold;    excluded;    p16;    HPV;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2021.622330

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a common cancer worldwide. Past therapeutic advances have not significantly improved HNSCC prognosis. Therefore, it is necessary to further stratify HNSCC, especially with recent advances in tumor immunology. Methods: Tissue microarrays were assembled from tumor tissue samples and were complemented with comprehensive clinicopathological data of n = 419 patients. H&E whole slides from resection specimen ( n = 289) were categorized according to their immune cell infiltrate as “hot,” “cold,” or “excluded.” Results: Investigating tumor immune cell patterns, we found significant differences in survival rates. Immunologic “hot” and “excluded” HNSCCs are associated with better overall survival than “cold” HNSCC patients ( p < 0.05). Interestingly, the percentage of all three patterns is nearly identical in p16 positive and negative HNSCCs. Conclusions: Using a plain histological H&E approach to categorize HNSCC as being immunologic “hot,” “cold,” or “excluded” can offer a forecast of patients' prognosis and may thus aid as a potential prognostic tool in routine pathology reports. This “hot-cold-excluded” scheme needs to be applied to more HNSCC cohorts and possibly to other cancer types to determine prognostic meaning, e.g., regarding OS or DFS. Furthermore, our cohort reflects epidemiological data in the national, European, and international context. It may, therefore, be of use for future HNSCC characterization.

【 授权许可】

CC BY