The elucidation of tumor microenvironment in invasive front of oral cancer and its application to therapy

• Project/Area Number: 16K15827
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Surgical dentistry
• Research Institution: Sapporo Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Hiratsuka Hiroyoshi 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (50165180)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 宮崎 晃亘 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (10305237) ; 荻 和弘 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (40433114) ; 上田 愛 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 研究員 (80568105) ; 小林 淳一 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (80404739)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,380,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥780,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
• Keywords: Tumor Budding / 口腔扁平上皮癌 / 癌微小環境 / tumor budding / 口腔癌 / 腫瘍微小環境

Outline of Final Research Achievements

91 cases of cT1,2N0M0 OSCC treated with transoral resection of the primary tumor were assessed based on 3 types of invasive tumor patterns on histopathologic and pancytokeratin-stained immunohistological sections: the mode of invasion, worst pattern of invasion (WPOI), and tumor budding. The correlations among invasive tumor patterns, regional metastasis, and disease-free survival were analyzed. Of the 91 cases, 22 had pathologically proven regional metastasis. The mode of invasion and tumor budding were associated with regional metastasis as well as lymphovascular invasion in univariate analysis. All three invasive patterns, the mode of invasion, WPOI, and tumor budding, were found to be significant predictors of 5-year disease-free survivalas well as lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion.
Our results indicate that the intensity of tumor budding may be a novel diagnostic biomarker, as well as a therapeutic tool, for regional metastasis in patients with cT1,2N0M0 OSCC.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Tumor budding is an independent prognostic marker in early stage oral squamous cell carcinoma: With special reference to the mode of invasion and worst pattern of invasion (2018)
  • Author(s): 清水翔太, 宮﨑晃亘, 園田智子, 小池和茂, 荻 和弘, 小林淳一, 金子 剛, 五十嵐友彦, 上田 愛, 出張裕也, 宮川 明, 長谷川匡, 平塚博義
  • Journal Title: PLOS ONE Volume: 13
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access