Abstract
Objective: 1) Determine whether expression of the chemokine receptor CCR7 is associated with an increased likelihood of cervical lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma. 2) Explore the significance of CCR7 expression in the localization of squamous cell carcinoma cells within the primary tumor and metastatic lymph nodes.
Method: Tissue samples from primary tumors and cervical metastases of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma were compared for their expression of CCR7 through immunohistochemistry. CCR7 expression was assessed in 30 primary tumor samples from patients without cervical metastases and compared to 30 samples from patients with metastases.
Results: CCR7 expression was found to be significantly higher in squamous cell carcinoma samples from patients with cervical lymph node metastases. Primary tumors of patients with cervical metastases showed significantly higher CCR7 staining, χ2 = 16.936, P < .001. N0 patients showed small foci of CCR7 positivity while tumors from N+ patients showed large areas of CCR7 positivity.When examining the lymph nodes with metastatic cancer, all patients showed CCR7 expression (30/30 N+ patients). Especially high levels were seen in cells surrounding lymphovascular structures.
Conclusion: CCR7 expression levels are associated with increased likelihood of cervical metastases of squamous cell carcinomas, suggesting a role for this receptor in lymphatic invasion. This finding may provide a novel diagnostic tool to predict the risk of occult lymphatic metastasis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
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