Oral oncology
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The recent success of immunotherapies has demonstrated the potency of tumor-specific immune cells in mediating tumor rejection and generating durable tumor immunity. Our understanding of the scientific basis of these responses results from the confluence of a better comprehension of the cancer immunoediting process and the revolution in next generation sequencing of cancer genomes. ⋯ Improved neoantigen prediction algorithms have made it possible to predict and monitor immune responses to checkpoint inhibitors and adoptively transferred autologous lymphocytes and have enabled the development of tumor-specific therapeutic vaccines. Herein, we review the current research on cancer neoantigens in immunotherapies and its implications for the future of head and neck cancer management.
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Polarization of tumor infiltrating macrophages is associated with the prognosis of solid malignancies and correlates with the occurrence of lymph node metastases in oral squamous cell carcinomas (oscc). Early stage (T1/T2, N0) oscc are characterized by a good prognosis and can be cured by surgery. The postoperative regime usually contains no adjuvant radio-/chemotherapy. The current pilot study was conducted to elucidate whether macrophage polarization in tumor resection specimens and diagnostic biopsies of early stage oscc is associated with tumor outcome. ⋯ Macrophage polarization in early stage oscc is a potential prognostic marker for tumor outcome. The correlation of M2 polarized macrophages with tumor outcome can already be detected in the initial biopsies. Furthermore, M2 polarization of macrophages in biopsies is associated with an increased dedifferentiation.
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Specific biomarkers are urgently needed for the detection and progression of oral cancer. The objective of this study was to discover cancer biomarkers from oral epithelium through utilizing high throughput quantitative proteomics approaches. Morphologically malignant, epithelial dysplasia, and adjacent normal epithelial tissues were laser capture microdissected (LCM) from 19 patients and used for proteomics analysis. ⋯ Its presence in the saliva of oral cancer patients was also explored. Myoglobin and S100A8 were pre-validated by tissue microarray. These data demonstrated that the proteomic biomarkers discovered through this strategy are potential targets for oral cancer detection and salivary diagnostics.