The expression and prognostic impact of proinflammatory cytokines and their associations with carcinogens in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

AbstractIn oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), the relationships between immune responses, carcinogens, and prognoses are not clarified yet. Here, we retrospectively reviewed the pathology samples of 46 OPSCC patients, and used p16 to determine their human papillomavirus (HPV) status. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was also analyzed for further comparison. The immunofluorescence staining of proinflammatory cytokines showed that high interferon gamma (IFN γ; T helper 1; Th1), low interleukin 4 (IL4; T helper 2; Th2), low thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP; Th2), and low transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ; T regulatory; Treg) expressions were good prognostic factors for OPSCC. p16-positive OPSCC showed higher Th1, lower Th2/Treg proinflammatory c ytokine expressions, and a better prognosis than p16-negative OPSCC. In smokers alone, although p16-positive OPSCC smokers showed weaker Th2/Treg predominant cytokine expressions than p16-negative OPSCC smokers, the prognoses of both groups were equally poor. As for p16-positive OPSCC patients alone , p16-positive nonsmokers showed a significantly better prognosis than p16-positive smokers, but the immune responses of both groups were all weakly Th2/Treg predominant. Overall, higher Th1 and lower Th2/Treg proinflammatory cytokine expressions are associated with a better prognosis for OPSCC. HPV may be related to increased Th1, decreased Th2/Treg responses, and a good prognosis, while smoking may be related to i...
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research