EGFR overexpression and macrophage infiltration correlate with poorer prognosis in HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer via STAT6 signaling.
Head Neck
; 46(6): 1294-1303, 2024 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38497289
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The prevalence of HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is higher in Asian countries. Patients with HPV-negative OPC suffer poor outcomes. Multi-omics analysis could provide researchers and clinicians with more treatment targets for this high-risk group. We aimed to explore the prognostic significance of EGFR overexpression and macrophage infiltration in OPC, especially HPV-negative OPC in this study.METHODS:
EGFR alternation was evaluated with TCGA, PanCancer Atlas through cBioProtal. EGFR mRNA expression in HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma was analyzed using the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER 2.0). We also examined EGFR/STAT6/MRC1 expression in paraffin-embedded tissues from a p16-negative OPC cohort. The correlation between EGFR expression and macrophage activation was explored using Person's correlation coefficient. The impact of biomarkers or macrophage infiltration on 5-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves.RESULTS:
EGFR alteration rate was 15%, 13%, and 0% for HPV-negative HNSCC (excluding OPC), HPV-negative OPC, and HPV-positive OPC. High EGFR expression was associated with increased tumor infiltration of immune cells, such as macrophages. We observed positive correlations between EGFR, STAT6, and MRC1 expression in p16-negative OPC. Higher MRC1 expression was associated with poorer survival rates.CONCLUSIONS:
There is strong correlation between EGFR overexpression and M2 polarization in patients with p16-negative OPC. Immunotherapy with or without EGFR inhibitor could be considered in these high-risk patients.Palavras-chave
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Neoplasias Orofaríngeas
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Fator de Transcrição STAT6
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Receptores ErbB
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article