Background: A subset of patients affected by cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) can exhibit locally invasive or metastatic tumors. Different staging classification systems are currently in use for cSCC. However, precise patient risk stratification has yet to be reached in clinical practice. The study aims to identify specific histological and molecular parameters characterizing metastatic cSCC. Methods: Patients affected by metastatic and non-metastatic cSCC (controls) were included in the present study and matched for clinical and histological characteristics. Skin samples from primary tumors were revised for several histological parameters and also underwent gene expression profiling with a commercially available panel testing 770 different genes. Results: In total, 48 subjects were enrolled in the study (24 cases, 24 controls); 67 genes were found to be differentially expressed between metastatic and non-metastatic cSCC. Most such genes were involved in immune regulation, skin integrity, angiogenesis, cell migration and proliferation. Conclusion: The combination of histological and molecular profiles of cSCCs allows the identification of features specific to metastatic cSCC, with potential implications for more precise patient risk stratification.
背景：部分皮肤鳞状细胞癌（cSCC）患者可出现局部浸润性或转移性肿瘤。目前临床针对cSCC采用多种分期系统，但实践中尚未实现精确的患者风险分层。本研究旨在明确转移性cSCC的特征性组织学与分子参数。方法：纳入转移性与非转移性cSCC患者（对照组），匹配其临床与组织学特征。对原发肿瘤皮肤样本进行多维度组织学参数复核，并采用包含770个基因的商业检测面板进行基因表达谱分析。结果：共48例受试者入组（24例病例组，24例对照组），发现67个基因在转移性与非转移性cSCC间存在差异表达。这些基因主要参与免疫调节、皮肤完整性维持、血管生成、细胞迁移与增殖等过程。结论：结合组织学特征与分子表达谱可识别转移性cSCC的特异性标志，有望为临床实现更精准的患者风险分层提供依据。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家