Evaluation of squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (tumor cells and peritumoral T-lymphocytes) and verrucous carcinoma and comparison with normal oral mucosa

Abstract

Evaluation of squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (tumor cells and peritumoral T-lymphocytes) and verrucous carcinoma and comparison with normal oral mucosa Background: Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) is used as a prognostic marker for recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma in various sites, including head and neck. Studies suggest that its high serum levels are correlated to some clinical features, such as nodal metastasis. However, it is still unknown if high SCCA in patients with SCCA tissue expression in tumor cells are related to peripheral T-lymphocytes. Therefore, we did this study to evaluate SCCA expression in squamous cell carcinoma and verrucous carcinoma and to compare it with normal oral mucosa, also investigating the correlation between serum-based and tissue-based antigen levels.Methodology: In this study, the immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique was used to determine the SCCA1 expression pattern in 81 specimens divided into 3 groups, including oral squamous cell carcinoma, verrucous carcinoma, and normal oral mucosa. Serum-based and tissue-based antigen levels of 20 oral squamous cell carcinoma cases were compared by the western blot assay. SCCA expression was also evaluated and compared in both tumor cells and peripheral T-lymphocytes by the immunofluorescence assay. Results:Our results showed that the SCCA levels in SCC specimens were significantly lower than in verrucous carcinoma and normal and hyperplastic oral mucosa specimens. We found no correlation between the IHC expression of SCCA and serum levels. SCCA was well expressed in both tumor cells and peripheral T-lymphocytes. Conclusion: Decreasing SCCA in SCC specimens suggested that SCC tumor cells may affect more than the serum levels of SCCA in some patients. In addition, expression of SCCA in peripheral T-lymphocytes showed that both tumor cells and T-lymphocytes may cause serum SCCA.

Salivary Scca1, Scca2 and Trop2 in Oral Cancer Patients—A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

“…Derakhshan et al suggested that the serum levels of SCCA1 are not associated with the expression of this protein in the tissues of squamous cell carcinomas due to the possibility of peripheral T-lymphocyte and tumour cell SCCA1 production [5]. If serum levels and tissue expression of squamous cell carcinoma do not correspond, it is possible that the serum and salivary values also do not.…”

“…Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) has been described in the literature as a diagnostic biomarker for squamous cell carcinomas of the uterine, cervix, hepatocellular, esophagus, lung, uterine cervix, head and neck cancer and colon [5][6][7][8] with the possibility of reflecting tumour stage, size, stromal, lymph node and vessel invasion and overall prognosis. Two genes, located at the 18q21.3, encode the two isoforms of SCCA [9].…”

A Rare Case of Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma Concurrent with Sinonasal Inverted Papilloma: A Case Report

“…It has been shown that SCCA can also be detected in some other cells not tumoral cells such as peripheral T-lymphocytes, and one study found that serum SCCA1 levels were not associated with tissue-based expression. 15 Currently, SCCA is recognized as a relatively specific disease-related indicator for cervical SCC and has substantial clinical significance for the diagnosis, efficient monitoring, and prognosis of the disease. SCCA levels also are an important indicator for patients with cervical SCC for treatment follow-up.…”

Diagnostic value of tumor markers in identifying favorable or unfavorable subsets in patients with cancer of unknown primary: a retrospective study

“…Squamous cell carcinoma antigen is a marker that is elevated in squamous cell carcinomas, such as head and neck, esophageal, and uterine cervical cancers [14]. Cytokeratin fraction (cytokeratin 19 fragment) is elevated in non-small cell lung cancers [15].…”