Personal immune profiles: Diversity and prognostic value for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma evaluated by comprehensive immune parameter analyses with multiplex immunofluorescence.

OBJECTIVES: Understanding the tumor immune microenvironment is becoming increasingly necessary for risk prediction and treatment selection. In particular, oral cancer has various immunosuppressive characteristics in the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, we comprehensively assessed the immune profiles of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multiplex immunofluorescence and tissue imaging analyses were performed to evaluate immune profiles at the invasive tumor front of 60 OTSCC surgical specimens. We analyzed 58 immune parameters including the density and proportion (%) of total leukocytes (Leu) and T cells, six subsets of T and myeloid cells, and the expression of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1). RESULTS: The density, proportion, and location of CD45+ Leu, three T cell subsets (CD8+, Foxp3-CD4+ conventional, and Foxp3+CD4+ regulatory T cells), CD163-CD68+ M1 and CD163+CD68+ M2 macrophages, and neutrophils were highly variable at the individual level. The density and proportion of M2 macrophages were significantly lower in the T1 stage group. Risk prediction analyses for recurrence and/or metastasis (R/M) showed that R/M (+) T1 cases had significantly higher M2 density and percentages. CONCLUSIONS: The immune profiles of OTSCC patients are diverse and cannot be predicted from clinicopathological information alone. The M2 macrophage abundance is a potential candidate biomarker for R/M in the early stage of OTSCC. Personal immune profiling may provide beneficial information for risk prediction and treatment selection.

High density and proximity of CD8+ T cells to tumor cells are correlated with better response to nivolumab treatment in metastatic pleural mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in pleural mesothelioma has recently been established. The response to ICIs can be predicted by quantitative analysis of cells and their spatial distribution in the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the detailed composition of the TME in pleural mesothelioma has not been reported. We evaluated the association between the TME and response to ICIs in this cancer. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 22 pleural mesothelioma patients treated with nivolumab in different centers was performed using surgical specimens. Four patients had a partial response to nivolumab (response group) and 18 patients had stable or progressive disease (nonresponse group). The number of CD4, CD8, FoxP3, CK, and PD-L1 positive cells, cell density, and cell-to-cell distance were analyzed by multiplex immunofluorescence. RESULTS: PD-L1 expression did not differ significantly between the response and nonresponse groups. The density of total T cells and of CD8+ T cells was significantly higher in the response than in the nonresponse group. CD8+ T cells were more clustered and located closer to tumor cells, whereas regulatory T cells were located further from tumor cells in the response than in the nonresponse group. CONCLUSIONS: High density and spatial proximity of CD8+ T cells to tumor cells were associated with better response to nivolumab, whereas the proximity of regulatory T cells to tumor cells was associated with worse response, suggesting that the distinct landscape of the TME could be a potential predictor of ICI efficacy in pleural mesothelioma.

Clinical profile of 102 patients with oral lichen planus in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin and mucous membrane presented with various clinical appearances. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the clinical profile of patients with OLP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The dental records of 102 patients who visited Oral Medicine Clinic, Dental Hospital, Naresuan University during 2002-2018 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: There were 75 (73.5%) women and 27 (26.5%) men, giving a female to male ratio of 2.8:1. The age of OLP patients ranged 20-81 years old with the mean age of 56.4 ± 13.2 years old. Seventy-eight patients (76.5%) had the history of systemic diseases and hypertension was the predominantly one. Most patients were non-smokers (98%), non-drinkers (86.3%) and non-betel nut chewers (98%). The atrophic form (93.1%) was the most common OLP. The lesions were mainly symptomatic (92.2%) and involved multiple locations (67.6%) where the buccal mucosa (79.4%) primarily affected. Only 2% were extraoral lesions detected on the skin. Patients had no family history of OLP or malignant transformation. Ninety-one patients (89.2%) were treated with topical steroid and only 4 patients were prescribed a combination of tropical and systemic steroid. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicated that most of characteristics are in accordance with previous studies. Since, OLP is a chronic inflammatory oral mucosal disease with high recurrence rate, early detection, accurately diagnosis, and long-term follow-up are necessary to evaluate the exacerbation and malignant transformation. Key words:Clinical profile, demographic, oral lichen planus, retrospective study.