Depth of Invasion: Influence of the Latest TNM Classification on the Prognosis of Clinical Early Stages of Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Its Association with Other Histological Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND: The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), in its 8th edition, introduces modifications to the previous TNM classification, incorporating tumour depth of invasion (DOI). The aim of this research is to analyse the prognosis (in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival) of clinical early stage (I and II) squamous cell carcinomas of the oral tongue according to the DOI levels established by the AJCC in its latest TNM classification to assess changes to the T category and global staging system and to evaluate the association between DOI and other histological risk factors. METHODS: A retrospective longitudinal observational study of a series of cases was designed. All patients were treated with upfront surgery at our institution between 2010 and 2019. The variables of interest were defined and classified into four groups: demographic, clinical, histological and evolutive control. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out and survival functions were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Statistical significance was established for p values below 0.05. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were included. The average follow-up time was 47.42 months. Fifteen patients presented a loco-regional relapse (24.59%) and five developed distant disease (8.19%). Twelve patients died (19.67%). Statistically significant differences were observed, with respect to disease-free survival (p = 0.043), but not with respect to overall survival (p = 0.139). A total of 49.1% of the sample upstaged their T category and 29.5% underwent modifications of their global stage. The analysis of the relationship between DOI with other histological variables showed a significant association with the presence of pathological cervical nodes (p = 0.012), perineural invasion (p = 0.004) and tumour differentiation grade (p = 0.034). Multivariate analysis showed association between depth of invasion and perineural invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Depth of invasion is a histological risk factor in early clinical stages of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Depth of invasion impacts negatively on patient prognosis, is capable per se of modifying the T category and the global tumour staging, and is associated with the presence of cervical metastatic disease, perineural invasion and tumoural differentiation grade.

Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Prevent Neurological Complications of Radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy is a highly effective tool for the treatment of brain cancer. However, radiation also causes detrimental effects in the healthy tissue, leading to neurocognitive sequelae that compromise the quality of life of brain cancer patients. Despite the recognition of this serious complication, no satisfactory solutions exist at present. Here we investigated the effects of intranasal administration of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) as a neuroprotective strategy for cranial radiation in mice. Our results demonstrated that intranasally delivered hMSCs promote radiation-induced brain injury repair, improving neurological function. This intervention confers protection against inflammation, oxidative stress, and neuronal loss. hMSC administration reduces persistent activation of damage-induced c-AMP response element-binding signaling in irradiated brains. Furthermore, hMSC treatment did not compromise the survival of glioma-bearing mice. Our findings encourage the therapeutic use of hMSCs as a non-invasive approach to prevent neurological complications of radiotherapy, improving the quality of life of brain tumor patients.