Distribution and significance of interstitial fibrosis and stroma‑infiltrating B cells in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Lao,Xiao‑Mei; Liang,Yu‑Jie; Su,Yu‑Xiong; Zhang,Si‑En; Zhou,Xi; Liao,Gui‑Qing

doi:10.3892/ol.2016.4184

Distribution and significance of interstitial fibrosis and stroma‑infiltrating B cells in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Authors:
- Xiao‑Mei Lao
- Yu‑Jie Liang
- Yu‑Xiong Su
- Si‑En Zhang
- Xi Zhou
- Gui‑Qing Liao
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Affiliations: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat‑sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510055, P.R. China, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, P.R. China
Published online on: February 4, 2016 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2016.4184
Pages: 2027-2034
Copyright: © Lao et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Inflammation and desmoplasia are frequently identified in the tumor microenvironment, and have been demonstrated to be effective modulators of malignant biological events. However, the mechanisms by which the inflammatory microenvironment and interstitial fibrosis interact with one another remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the degree of inflammation and interstitial fibrosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC), and how this acts to affect the outcome of TSCC. Tissue samples from 93 cases of TSCC and paired tumor‑adjacent non‑neoplastic tongue epithelium, as well as 14 cases of epithelial dysplasia, were used. Interstitial collagen fibers were assessed using Masson's trichrome stain. Immunohistochemical identification of cancer‑associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and stroma‑infiltrating B cells was performed via detection of α‑smooth muscle actin (SMA), vimentin, desmin and cluster of differentiation 19 (CD19). The clinicopathological significance and overall survival of the TSCC patients were statistically analyzed. Regularly distributed CAFs and CD19+ B cells were identified in the TSCC stroma, whereas no CAFs or CD19+ B cells were observed in epithelial dysplasia samples or paired tumor‑adjacent non‑neoplastic tongue epithelium samples. The distribution of interstitial collagen fibers and CAFs was closely associated with the tumor stage of the primary cancer, and high levels of CD19+ B cells together with low CAF infiltration were identified to be associated with favorable prognosis in TSCC. In conclusion, the inflammatory and interstitial fibrotic microenvironments coexist in TSCC, and each has specific effects on disease outcome, individually or perhaps collectively. However, it remains to be determined exactly how the microenvironments affect one another in TSCC.

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