Cancer Stem Cell Markers in Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Salivary Glands

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Cancer stem cells (CSC) are cells that exhibit stem cell properties and are pivotal in tumor biology. CSC markers have been described for many tumorous entities. However, to this date, there is no data on CSC markers in respect to squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the salivary glands. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Histologic samples from patients with salivary gland SCCs were stained for CSC markers (ALDH-1/BMI-1/SOX-2/CD-44/vimentin) and divided into high and low expression subgroups. These were then correlated with tumor and patient characteristics as well as overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival, recurrence-free survival and local control rates (LCR) after 3 and 5 years. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Overall, 31 samples were included. CD-44 and ALDH-1 expression were associated with tumor origin (metastatic/primary disease, <i>p</i> = 0.048 and <i>p</i> = 0.011, respectively). Strong BMI-1 expression was associated with poorer OS (62.9 vs. 27.3%, <i>p</i> = 0.029), strong SOX-2 expression was associated with poorer LCR (62.5 vs. 21.9%, <i>p</i> = 0.007). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> CD-44 and ALDH-1 may be useful in differentiating between primary SCCs and metastatic disease. BMI-1 and SOX-2 are correlated with poorer prognosis.

ALDH1: A potential therapeutic target for cancer stem cells in solid tumors

“…ALDH1 is associated with tumor malignancy and self-renewal properties of stem cells in HNCs ( 182 ) and has been associated with poorer prognosis and failure of chemoradiotherapy in HNCs ( 13 , 183 ). ALDH1 acts as a stem cell marker for HNCs such as oral cancer ( 184 ), eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma ( 185 ), benign epithelial odontogenic lesions ( 186 ), salivary gland tumor ( 187 , 188 ), lip cancer ( 189 ), sublingual adenoma ( 190 ).…”

A Rare Case of Parotid Gland Neoplasm With Squamous Cell Origin

“…SCC de novo from the parotid gland reported only 0.3-6.9% of all parotid malignancies. In addition, SCC of the salivary glands is related to comparatively poor prognosis [3]. The diagnosis of parotid SCC depends on the exclusion of high grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma and metastatic SCC.…”