Involvement of microenvironment with cancer/epithelial stem cell in oral lesions

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25462864
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Morphological basic dentistry
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: FUJITA Shuichi 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(歯学系), 准教授 (00181355)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YAMADA Shin-ichi 信州大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 准教授 (50380853) ; IKEDA Tohru 東京医科歯科大学, 大学院医歯学総合研究科, 教授 (00211029) ; SHIBATA Yasuaki 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 講師 (80253673)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 微小環境 / 扁平上皮癌 / リンパ節転移 / 癌関連マクロファージ / 癌関連好中球 / 癌関連線維芽細胞 / CCL2 / CCR2

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) often metastasizes to cervical lymph nodes. We immunohistochemically examined the involvement of CCL2-CCR2 axis with construction of microenvironment suitable for metastasis in lymph nodes.Marginal sinus histiocytosis was frequently observed in metastatic cases. CCL2 was expressed in tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) and moderately or poorly differentiated SCC was detected at primary tumor sites. TANs expressing CCL2 flowed into the marginal sinus in the lymph nodes. CCR2-positive macrophages and mesenchymal cells infiltrated the tumor stroma and were seen within the carcinoma nests. They were predominantly present in the marginal sinus of metastatic cases. In small metastatic foci, alpha-SMA-positive spindle cells resembling carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were observed adjacent to the macrophages. The results indicate that the CCL2-CCR2 axis is associated with lymphatic metastasis from oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Free Research Field

口腔病理学