1. Molecular subtyping of head and neck cancer - Clinical applicability and correlations with morphological characteristics.
- Author
-
Stögbauer F, Otto R, Jöhrens K, Tinhofer I, Keilholz U, Poremba C, Keller U, Leser U, Weichert W, Boxberg M, and Klinghammer K
- Subjects
- Humans, Neoplasm Recurrence, Local pathology, Prognosis, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck genetics, Clinical Trials as Topic, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell pathology, Head and Neck Neoplasms genetics
- Abstract
Aim: We aimed to evaluate the applicability of a customized NanoString panel for molecular subtyping of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M-HNSCC). Additionally, histological analyses were conducted, correlated with the molecular subtypes and tested for their prognostic value., Material and Methods: We conducted molecular subtyping of R/M-HNSCC according to the molecular subtypes defined by Keck et al. For molecular analyses a 231 gene customized NanoString panel (the most accurately subtype defining genes, based on previous analyses) was applied to tumor samples from R/M-HNSCC patients that were treated in the CeFCiD trial (AIO/IAG-KHT trial 1108). A total of 130 samples from 95 patients were available for sequencing, of which 80 samples from 67 patients passed quality controls and were included in histological analyses. H&E stained slides were evaluated regarding distinct morphological patterns (e.g. tumor budding, nuclear size, stroma content)., Results: Determination of molecular subtypes led to classification of tumor samples as basal (n = 46, 45 %), inflamed/mesenchymal (n = 31, 30 %) and classical (n = 26, 25 %). Expression levels of Amphiregulin (AREG) were significantly higher for the basal and classical subtypes compared to the mesenchymal subtype. While molecular subtypes did not have an impact on survival, high levels of tumor budding were associated with poor outcomes. No correlation was found between molecular subtypes and histological characteristics., Conclusions: Utilizing the 231-gene NanoString panel we were able to determine the molecular subtype of R/M-HNSCC samples by the use of FFPE material. The value to stratify for different treatment options remains to be explored in the future. The prognostic value of tumor budding was underscored in this clinically well annotated cohort., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF