title: Immunohistochemical assessment of the tumour-associated epitopes CD44v6 and E48 in tumour-free lymph nodes from patients with squamous cell carcinoma in the head-neck region.
abstract: We examined immunohistochemically 370 tumour-free lymph nodes from 41 patients with a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) to clarify whether the tumour-associated epitopes CD44v6 and E48 are suitable for adjuvant postoperative immunotherapy. All the positively immunostained cells found were single cells. CD44v6+ cells were found in 55% of the lymph nodes, with their numbers increasing in pN>0-patients (62%). Only pN>0-patients had abundant to massive CD44v6+ cells. A comparison with mononuclear cells in lymphatic tissue from control patients suggested a similarity with activated T-cells. In the 41 cancer patients there were significantly fewer lymph nodes with E48+ cells (11%), but the number of E48+ cells increased in pN> 1-patients (29%) with predominantly abundant E48+ cells. We conclude from the comparison with the epithelial marker EMA that the E48+ single cells are epithelial in origin. Only a specific E48 peptide sequence appears suitable for adjuvant immunotherapy in patients with head-neck tumours.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin, Charité, Germany. eva-maria.fabricius@charite.de
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Fabricius
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guschmann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Langford
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hell
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bier
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000032:analysis*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000032:analysis*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D000939:Epitopes; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; C094237:LY6D protein, human