“Immunoscore” as a biomarker for oral, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Recently, the delineation of tumor-infiltrating immune cells using standard immunohistochemistry (IHC) coupled with digital imaging and computer algorithms, termed “Immunoscore”, has proved to be a powerful prognostic biomarker, providing significantly (p<0.001) more prognostic power than TNM staging in patients with colon cancer.1,2 Similar to observations in other malignancies, CD8 effector T cell infiltration or transcriptional signature consistent with an ongoing T cell response is associated with prolonged survival in patients with oral, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (OHNSCC). This suggests that OHNSCC lacking a T cell infiltrate may benefit from immune interventions that induce and/or augment a tumor-specific immune response. To develop a strategy to address this problem we have created an OHNSCC tumor bank that is cryopreserving enzymatically isolated viable cells from resected tumors. Furthermore, we are attempting to develop primary tumor cell lines and are isolating tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from theses specimens.The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to apply digital imaging and objective assessment techniques to characterize infiltrating immune cells and to coordinate these data with a flow cytometric analysis of the cells isolated from the tumor and evaluate for possible correlation with tumor-specific function.