engleski

Strong osteopontin expression in tumor-associated macrophages is predictor of better prognosis in oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)

Objective: Osteopontin (OPN) is a glycoprotein involved in progression of many carcinomas, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). It is synthesized by a variety of epithelial and mesenchymal cell types, including macrophages. Recently, a distinct activities of OPN from stromal and parenchymal tumor cells has been proposed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of osteopontin in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) from OSCC tissue and to determine its possible prognostic significance. Method: The expression of OPN was immunohistochemicaly analyzed in TAMs from 86 OSCC and compared with clinicopathological variables. The staining intensity was semi-quantitatively assessed as high, moderate and low. Results: Diffusecytoplasmic positivity for OPN in infiltrating TAMs was classified as high in 21 patients, moderate in 47 patients, and low in 14 patients ; OPN+ macrophages were absent in 4 patients. Strong OPN expression in TAMs was associated with low invasive front grade (p < 0.006), low level of inflammatory response ( p< 0.018), and a better disease specific survival (p= 0.009). Expression patterns were not asso- ciated with pTstage (p= 0.28), lymph node status ( p= 0.21), nor with the WHO clinical stage (p =0.41). Conclusion: In OSCC macrophage-derived OPN probably has a different function compared with OPN secreted from tumor cells.

Osteopontin; Squamous Cell Carcinoma; Tumor associated macrophages

(poster, međunarodna recenzija, sažetak, znanstveni)