https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6120-7318
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Abstract
Background
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common head and neck malignancy with a high mortality rate and poor prognosis. The exploration and understanding of biomarkers will help to further improve the diagnosis and treatment of OSCC.
Methods
Tumor tissue samples from 319 OSCC patients were retrospectively collected, along with their clinical information. In combination with bioinformatics tools and multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) analyses, we evaluated NUP62CL protein expression and its relationship to tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) and immune checkpoints in the tumor microenvironment (TME), as well as its association with clinical features and prognosis of OSCC.
Results
We identified high-NUP62CL expression in OSCC tissues, and high-NUP62CL protein expression was associated with large tumor size, advanced clinical stage and poor prognosis. In addition, NUP62CL protein expression was positively associated with the abundance of CD3+CD4+ T cells (P<0.01), CD3+CD8+ T cells (P<0.01), CD56+ NK cells (P<0.05), CD68+CD86+ macrophages (P<0.01) and CD68+CD163+ macrophages (P<0.01), as well as the immune checkpoints, including PD-1 (P<0.001), PD-L1 (P<0.001), and CTLA-4 (P<0.001) protein expression.
Conclusion
In conclusion, NUP62CL could be an effective prognostic and immunological biomarker for OSCC patients.
Acknowledgments
We thank all the study participants, research staff, and students who contributed to this study. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82172931 and 32170915), Jiangsu Province Capability Improvement Project through Science, Technology and Education (ZDXK202234), the fifth orthodontic Committee of Jiangsu Stomatological Association (Joa-2022-6), Nantong Municipal Health Committee Scientific Research Project (QA2021058), Nantong Science and Technology Project (MS22022072) and Nantong University Clinical Medicine special project (2022JQ007).
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.