Young and elderly oral squamous cell carcinoma patients present similar angiogenic profile and predominance of M2 macrophages: Comparative immunohistochemical study

Abstract

Background M2 macrophages are often detected in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which, influenced by hypoxic conditions, appear to have high angiogenesis‐inducing capacity. However, the effects of immunosenescence on tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) and angiogenesis in OSCC are unknown. Methods Fifty‐seven OSCCs were divided into 3 groups (I: <40 years [n = 17]; II: 40‐65 years [n = 20]; III: >65 years [n = 20]). Immunohistochemistry for CD68 and CD163 (TAMs), and CD34 and D2‐40 for microvessel density (MVD), microvessel area (MVA), and total vascular area (TVA) were performed. Results All groups showed similar clinicopathological and immunohistochemical findings. Similar CD68 and CD163 expression, confirmed a M2 phenotype. MVD, MVA, and TVA were similar, however, with significant predominance of blood vessels. No significant correlation between macrophage and angiogenic markers was observed. Conclusions A similar TAM and angiogenesis profile suggests the participation of other mechanisms, instead immunosenescence, in young and elderly OSCC patients.

Histological features and survival in young patients with HPV‐negative oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…A worldwide increasing trend in the incidence of OSCC in young adults has been observed in the last decades, although the exact incidence is still uncertain (Borba Ribeiro et al., 2019). Moreover, the cut‐offs reported in the literature defining the “young age” range from 30 to 45 years, highlighting the lack of standardization (de Morais et al., 2017; Oliver et al., 2019; Teixeira et al., 2019). Besides, the role of tobacco and alcohol consumption in the development of OSCC in young adults is still debated.…”

“…Another hypothesis is related to the ability of cancer cells to avoid destruction from the host immune system (Chen & Mellman, 2017). Indeed, recent studies have increasingly shown that tumour immune microenvironment plays a critical role in cancer progression, although significant results in young OSCC patients has not yet emerged (Huang et al., 2019; Ryu et al., 2019; Teixeira et al., 2019; Vincent‐Chong et al., 2018).…”

A meta-analysis of oral squamous cell carcinoma in young adults with a comparison to the older group patients (2014–2019)

“…The analysis of the preceding, published case series reveals several notable differences in their methodology. These studies often utilized different age thresholds for defining “young.” Age distribution of patients in the presented articles varied, individuals considered young, were those aged ≤30 years (0.8%),[ 3 ] ≤40 years (90%),[ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ] and ≤45 years (6.7%). [ 21 22 23 24 25 ] The majority of the studies (nearly 17 studies) classified individuals under 40 years as young.…”

“…Regarding the country of study, China carried out five works,[ 3 4 7 16 20 ] followed by the United States (four works),[ 15 21 24 26 ] Brazil (three works),[ 10 17 19 ] Pakistan, India, and Korea (two works). [ 8 12 13 14 23 25 ] The remaining works were single reported studies in various countries.…”

“…However, the majority of the studies arbitrarily considered individuals under 40 as young (90%) as the unique group of OSCC. [ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ]…”