Thematic Institutional Excellence Programme(TKP2021-EGA-24) Támogató: Emberi Erőforrások
Minisztériuma
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are among the most common malignancies
in men worldwide. Nevertheless, their clinical management is hampered by the limited
availability of reliable predictive and prognostic biomarkers. Protein kinase D (PKD)
isoforms contribute to major cellular processes. However, their potential role in
HNSCC has not been studied systematically, which is the focus of this study. A total
of 63 therapy-naive patients with squamous cell carcinoma were consecutively enrolled.
Tissue microarray duplicate cores from each case were tested in situ for PKD1, PKD2,
and PKD3 expression using immunohistochemistry, and the results were correlated with
clinicopathological parameters. We found a high frequency of PKD1/PKD2 positive cases
in oropharyngeal and PKD2 positive cases in laryngeal localizations. Only high PKD2
levels were statistically linked to elevated tumor grades, more advanced TNM (3–4)
tumor stages, and p16INK4a expression, while elevated PKD3 levels were associated
with favorable disease-specific survival. Both PKD2 and PKD3 have been proposed to
promote tumor cell proliferation, migration/invasion, and angiogenesis. However, the
role of PKD3 was elusive in some cancers. Our findings suggest that testing for PKD
isotypes with immunohistochemistry may support the diagnostic estimation of tumor
progression and prognosis in HNSCC with a potential therapeutic relevance.
