Raptor and rictor expression in patients with human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Despite reports of a link between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling activation, the role of the mTOR pathway, especially raptor and rictor, in HPV-related head and neck cancer is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the role of the mTOR pathway in HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). METHODS: The present study involved two strategies. The first was to investigate the activity of mTOR and mTOR-related complexes in high-risk HPV-positive (UM-SCC47 and CaSki) and HPV-negative (SCC-4 and SAS) cancer cell lines. The second was to elucidate mTOR complex expression in 80 oropharyngeal cancer tissues and to examine the relationship between mTOR complex expression and survival in patients with OPSCC. RESULTS: The UM-SCC47 and CaSki cell lines showed high gene and protein expression of raptor. They also exhibited G1/S and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest following 24 h incubation with 6 µM temsirolimus, a rapamycin analog, and temsirolimus administration inhibited their growth. HPV-related OPSCC samples showed high gene and protein expression of raptor and rictor compared with HPV-unrelated OPSCC. In addition, HPV-related OPSCC patients with high raptor and rictor expression tended to have a worse prognosis than those with low or medium expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that raptor and rictor have important roles in HPV-related OPSCC and that temsirolimus is a potential therapeutic agent for patients with HPV-related OPSCC. This is the first report to reveal the overexpression of raptor and rictor in HPV-related OPSCC.

ERCC1 C8092A polymorphism predicts fair survival outcome in Japanese patients with pharyngo-laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic significance of DNA excision repair gene polymorphisms, excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) and X-ray repair complementing defective repair in Chinese hamster cells 1 (XRCC1) polymorphisms were investigated in Japanese patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: A total of 225 consecutive patients with HNSCC who underwent surgery or chemoradiotherapy/radiotherapy (CRT/RT) with curative intent as primary treatment from 2006 to 2017 were recruited. ERCC1 C8092A and XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphisms in DNA extracted from individual blood samples were determined by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Cumulative survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis with a log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model stratified by treatment arm, adjusting for clinical prognostic factors. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that carriers with the ERCC1 8092 (C/A+A/A) genotype (hazard ratio, 3.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-7.39; p = 0.02) had significantly worse survival than those with ERCC1 8092 C/C who received CRT/RT. Conversely, the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism did not influence survival in patients who received CRT/RT as well as surgery. CONCLUSION: The ERCC1 C8092A polymorphism might be an independent predictor of response to CRT and survival outcome in patients with HNSCC. This is the first report to investigate the role of DNA excision repair gene polymorphisms in patients with head and neck cancer in a Japanese population.

Prospective Analysis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen-1 and -2 for Diagnosing Sinonasal Inverted Papilloma.

Background: The goal of this research was to confirm whether preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA)-1 and -2 levels are useful diagnostic markers for sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) in a prospective study. Methods: Participants were 102 patients who underwent consecutive endoscopic sinus surgery: 18 with IP, two with other types of papilloma, 77 with chronic rhinosinusitis, four with sinonasal cancer, and one with hemangioma. SCCA-1 and SCCA-2 were measured preoperatively by an automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Results: SCCA-1 and SCCA-2 values were significantly correlated (r = 0.603, p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis for differentiating papilloma (IP and other types of papilloma) from other diseases yielded an area under the curve of 0.860, with a Youden index of 1.75. Combined with SCCA-2 analysis, the detection system had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.65 and 0.98, respectively. While our study did not find a strong link between SCCA levels and skin or lung diseases, smoking status may influence SCCA levels in IP patients (p = 0.035). We recommend a cutoff value of 1.8 ng/mL for SCCA-1 in IP diagnosis. Conclusions: SCCA-1 and SCCA-2 when combined with imaging and pathology hold promise for enhancing the preoperative detection of IP, which would be a valuable contribution to clinical practice.

Human Papillomavirus Infection and EGFR Exon 20 Insertions in Sinonasal Inverted Papilloma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

This study aimed to clarify the roles of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 mutations in sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) and sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC). Samples were collected from 20 cases with IP, 7 with IP and squamous cell carcinoma (IP-SCC), and 20 with SNSCC and examined for HPV infection and EGFR exon 20 mutations. Low- or high-risk HPV DNA was observed in 25% of IP, 57.1% of IP-SCC, and 35% of SNSCC cases. Transcriptionally active HR-HPV infections in IP-SCC and SNSCC, accompanied by p16 overexpression, were observed in 28.5% and 25% of cases, respectively. Heterozygous EGFR exon 20 amino acid insertions (ex20ins), located between amino acids 768-774, were observed in 45% of IP, 28.5% of IP-SCC, and 0% of SNSCC and chronic sinusitis cases. EGFR phosphorylation sites were located at tyrosine (Y) 845, Y1068, Y1086, and Y1197 and induced PI3K/AKT/mTOR activation. The phosphorylation pattern of EGFR with ex20ins resembled that of HPV-related SNSCC and oropharyngeal cancer. The transcriptionally active HR-HPV infection and ex20ins might be responsible for the pathogenesis of IP-SCC cases with different fashions. Since IP-SCC might be a multifactorial disease, further investigation is needed to understand IP-SCC etiology.

Biomarkers for Predicting Anti-Programmed Cell Death-1 Antibody Treatment Effects in Head and Neck Cancer.

In recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M-HNSCC), survival outcomes are significantly better in patients who receive anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody therapy than in those who receive standard therapy. However, there is no established biomarker that can predict the anti-PD-1 antibody treatment effect and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in these patients. This study investigated the inflammatory and nutritional status in 42 patients with R/M-HNSCC and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) polymorphisms (rs4143815 and rs2282055) in 35 of the 42 patients. The 1- and 2-year overall survival was 59.5% and 28.6%, respectively; the 1- and 2-year first progression-free survival was 19.0% and 9.5%, respectively, and the respective second progression-free survival was 50% and 27.8%. Performance status and inflammatory and nutritional status (assessed by the geriatric nutritional risk index, modified Glasgow prognostic score, and prognostic nutritional index) were identified as significant indicators of survival outcomes in multivariate analysis. Patients with ancestral alleles in PD-L1 polymorphisms had less frequent irAEs. Performance status and inflammatory and nutritional status before treatment were closely related to survival outcomes after PD-1 therapy. These indicators can be calculated using routine laboratory data. PD-L1 polymorphisms may be biomarkers for predicting irAEs in patients receiving anti-PD-1 therapy.

p16 Overexpression in Sinonasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Association with Human Papillomavirus and Prediction of Survival Outcomes.

p16 overexpression is often used as a surrogate marker for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma but remains an uncertain diagnostic tool for HPV-related sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC). Our study involved 79 consecutive SNSCC patients who were treated at a tertiary referral university hospital during 2006-2021. We retrospectively examined their clinical characteristics and conducted p16 immunohistochemistry and HPV detection. We found that 12.7% of the patients exhibited p16 overexpression, which was significantly more common in the nasal cavity and increased from 2015 onward. The HPV was a high-risk type and viral loads ranged from 4.2 to 1.6 × 106 copies/ng DNA with genome integration. Five-year overall survival (OS) and five-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rates were 74.6% and 69.9%, respectively. Our multivariate analysis showed that T category (T1-4a) and hemoglobin levels (≥13.7) were significant favorable prognostic factors for OS, while T category, performance status, and p16 overexpression were significantly associated with RFS. In patients with p16 overexpression, OS was 100% and RFS was 90%. Our findings suggest that p16 overexpression is a reliable surrogate marker for transcriptionally active HPV infection and predicts a favorable prognosis.

Development of Antibodies against HPV-6 and HPV-11 for the Study of Laryngeal Papilloma.

Laryngeal papilloma (LP), which is associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV)-6 or -11, displays aggressive growth. The precise molecular mechanism underlying the tumorigenesis of LP has yet to be uncovered. Building on our earlier research into HPV-6, in this study, the viral gene expression of HPV-11 was investigated by quantitative PCR and DNA/RNA in situ hybridization. Additionally, newly developed antibodies against the E4 protein of HPV-6 and HPV-11 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The average viral load of HPV-11 in LP was 1.95 ± 0.66 × 105 copies/ng DNA, and 88% of HPV mRNA expression was found to be E4, E5a, and E5b mRNAs. According to RNA in situ hybridization, E4 and E5b mRNAs were expressed from the middle to upper part of the epithelium. E4 immunohistochemistry revealed a wide positive reaction in the upper cell layer in line with E4 mRNA expression. Other head and neck lesions with HPV-11 infection also showed a positive reaction in E4 immunohistochemistry. The distribution pattern of HPV DNA, viral mRNA, and E4 protein in LP with HPV-11 infection was quite similar to that of HPV-6. Therefore, it might be possible to apply these E4-specific antibodies in other functional studies as well as clinical applications, including targeted molecular therapies in patients with HPV-6 and HPV-11 infection.

Coordinated Expression of HPV-6 Genes with Predominant E4 and E5 Expression in Laryngeal Papilloma.

Laryngeal papilloma (LP) associated with human papillomavirus (HPV)-6 or -11 infection shows aggressive growth. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of virus-driven tumorigenesis has not been uncovered fully. HPV-6 viral gene expression and dynamic alterations were investigated with in situ localization of viral DNA and RNA in 13 patients with HPV-6-infected laryngeal papilloma. The average viral load was 4.80 × 105 ± 1.86 × 105 copies/ng DNA. E4, E5a, and E5b mRNAs accounted for 96% of the expression of 9 mRNAs. The alteration of viral DNA load during recurrence paralleled the mRNA expression levels, and the expression of all mRNAs showed a similar curve. E4, E5a, and E5b were expressed in the middle to upper part of the epithelium and were co-expressed in the same cells. E4 immunohistochemistry demonstrated an extensively positive reaction in the upper cell layer in accordance with E4 mRNA expression. These results suggest that individual viral genes are coordinately expressed for viral replication, virus release, and immunosurveillance avoidance. The newly developed E4-specific monoclonal antibody can be applied to further functional studies and clinical applications such as targeted molecular therapies.

Induction Chemotherapy in Hypopharyngeal Cancer: Influence of DNA Repair Gene Polymorphisms.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The aim was to clarify whether DNA repair gene polymorphisms can be used to predict response to cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and docetaxel (TPF) as induction chemotherapy (ICT) in Japanese patients with hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA repair gene polymorphisms (rs3212986, rs1799793, rs13181, and rs25487) were analyzed in 117 HPC patients and 125 control subjects by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Forty-one HPC patients who received TPF-based ICT, followed by surgery or chemoradiotherapy/radiotherapy were analyzed for ICT response, laryngeal preservation, and survival outcome. RESULTS: ICT responders (29 cases) had significantly better overall survival than ICT non-responders (12 cases; 86.0% vs. 37.0%, respectively, p<0.01 by log-rank test) and better laryngeal preservation rates. The DNA repair gene polymorphisms were not related to ICT response. CONCLUSION: ICT is beneficial for chemoselection of HPC patients, but a role for DNA repair gene polymorphisms in ICT response was not confirmed.

Hypopharyngeal cancer risk in Japanese: Genetic polymorphisms related to the metabolism of alcohol- and tobacco-associated carcinogens.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated hypopharyngeal cancer (HC) risk in combination with xenobiotic metabolism-related genetic polymorphisms and the burden of alcohol consumption and smoking in European countries but not in East Asian countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This hospital-based case-control study involved 61 male patients with HC and 71 male cancer-free controls. Information on age, body mass index, and alcohol and cigarette consumption was obtained from medical records, a self-completion questionnaire, and a thorough interview by an otolaryngologist. Alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B), aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), cytochrome P450 A1 (CYP1A1) MspI, CYP1A1 Ile462Val, glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 gene polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction-based methods. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by adjustment for age by the Mantel-Haenszel method. RESULTS: The burden of alcohol and cigarette consumption significantly increased the risk of HC and showed a synergistic effect. ADH1B*1/*1 (odds ratio [OR] 7.34) and ALDH2 *1/*2 (OR 13.22) were significant risk factors for HC. Individuals with ADH1B*1/*1 or ALDH2 *1/*2 who consumed alcohol were more susceptible to HC. However, polymorphisms of CYP1A1 gene and GSTs were not significant cancer risk factors in patients with HC. CONCLUSIONS: ADH1B*1/*1 and ALDH2 *1/*2 were significant risk factors for HC, while polymorphism of CYP1A1 gene and GSTs was not a significant risk factor for HC. These polymorphisms determined the effects of alcohol and cigarette smoke in addition to burden of alcohol and cigarettes intake on the risk of HC.