Establishment of subtype classification of salivary gland cancer for treatment selection

• Project/Area Number: 17K17279
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Surgical dentistry
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: YOSHIMURA TAKUYA 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域鹿児島大学病院, 助教 (30726758)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,030,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥930,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
• Keywords: 唾液腺がん / PEP19 / HER2 / MUC6 / 粘表皮癌 / 唾液腺癌 / 免疫組織化学 / 臨床腫瘍学 / 唾液腺腫瘍

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We confirm the expression of 12 factors by immunohistochemistry in patients diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma and undergoing radical surgery. In this study, we clarified that expression of PEP19, HER2, MUC4, and MUC6 was associated with prognosis. In addition, it was found that the accuracy of prognosis prediction was further improved by combining each of them rather than examining them alone. This suggests that subtype classification using PEP19, HER2, MUC4, and MUC6 may be useful in mucoepidermoid carcinoma. In other salivary gland cancers, the expression of each target molecule was confirmed at a certain rate, and further accumulation of cases was necessary.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで唾液腺がんにおいて有効な分子標的薬は明らかとなっていなかったが、今回粘表皮癌ではHER2、PEP19、MUC4、MUC6の発現は明らかに唾液腺がん患者の生命予後に関係することが
明らかとなった。さらにEGFRも粘表皮癌において発現が多いことから、治療対象となり得る可能性も考えられた。そのメカニズムを明らかにするためにはさらなる研究が必要であるが、今回の研究で唾液腺の治療に既存の分子標的治療薬が使用できる可能性が示唆された。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Immunohistochemical expression profiles of mucin antigens in salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma: MUC4- and MUC6-negative expression predicts a shortened survival in the early postoperative phase (2018)
  • Author(s): Honjo K Hiraki T, Higashi M, Noguchi H, Nomoto M, Yoshimura T, Batra SK, Yonezawa S, Semba I, Nakamura N, Tanimoto A, Yamada S
  • Journal Title: Histology and Histopathology Volume: 33 Pages: 201-213
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Presentation] 粘表皮癌における臨床病理組織学的検討と予後予測因子 (2019)
  • Author(s): 東翔太朗、吉村卓也、石田喬之、鈴木甫、野添悦郎、仙波伊知郎、谷本昭英、中村典史
  • Organizer: 第64回日本口腔外科学会総会・学術大会
• [Presentation] A clinicopathological study and prognostic factor analysis on mucoepidermoid carcinoma. (2018)
  • Author(s): Yoshimura T, Yamada S, Yokoyakma S, Nozoe E, Semba I, Kurono Y, Tanimoto A, Nakamura N
  • Organizer: 13th Asia Congress of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 粘表皮癌におけるPEP19,EGFR,HER2発現の意義 (2017)
  • Author(s): 吉村卓也、山田壮亮、福元祥子、石畑清秀、比地岡浩志、野添悦郎、仙波伊知郎、黒野祐一、谷本昭英、中村典史
  • Organizer: 第62回日本口腔外科学会総会・学術大会