Podoplanin expression in lymphogenic metastases of head and neck cancer

Introduction Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) have been associated with a poor prognosis for decades, with more than half of the patients already showing lymph node metastases at the time of diagnosis. CUP syndrome (Cancer of unknown primary) of the head and neck area is a special subtype of HNSCC and considered with a poor prognosis. An increased expression of the D2-40 gene (podoplanin) has already been described in several human malignancies and is associated with a stimulation of metastatic spread. However, only limited data are available on the role of podoplanin in HNSCCs.

Material und Methoden The expression of podoplanin was analyzed on FFPE tissue samples from 100 patients (70 HNSCC patients with known primary tumor, 30 CUP patients) using immunohistochemistry, immunoreactivity was rated using an immunoreactive score (IRS) and correlated with the clinical data of the patients.

Results We found a higher podoplanin expression in CUP compared to HNSCC patients and a significant correlation of high podoplanin expression with an advanced N stage. Podoplanin expression had no significant effect on the patients’ overall survival and did not correlate with HPV tumor status.

Conclusion Our results indicated a potential role of podoplanin in lymphogenic metastasis of head and neck cancers. Further functional studies on cell culture and animal models are needed to further elucidate the clinical and therapeutic relevance of this observation.

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Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020