Background:In oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) patients, cervical lymph node metastasis profoundly influences prognoses and is central to guiding surgical strategies. Mapping the likelihood of lymph node metastasis across different cervical nodal levels is essential for achieving precise surgical planning.Purpose:OTSCC is a prevalent head and neck malignancy. Accurate MRI-based tumor segmentation and prognostic prediction are essential for detecting lymph node metastasis and improving patient survival rates. However, the potential of deep learning techniques has been underexplored in this context.Design:This retrospective pilot study included 136 OTSCC patients with non-lymph node metastasis and lymph node metastasis who underwent primary and cervical lymph node dissection following baseline MRI. The development of a machine learning approach, incorporating an automatically segmented approach, enables the creation of a model capable of predicting cervical lymph node metastasis based on primary site tumors.Methods:We propose a two-stage OTSCC diagnostic workflow. First, a multiparametric fusion network (MobileNetV2 U-Net) was implemented using TensorFlow to integrate features from contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE-T1WI), T2-weighted (T2WI), and T1-weighted (T1WI) MRI sequences and automatically segment primary tumors. Next, radiomic models were constructed to predict cervical lymph node metastasis from these automated segmentations. A fusion nomogram combining radiomic features and clinical data was developed to predict metastasis status. For comparison, a radiomics model using manually segmented CE-T1WIs was also evaluated.Results:Data from 136 patients (mean age 50.29 ± 12.25 years; 100 men, 36 women) showed that the MobileNetV2 U-Net achieved a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 85% and a mean intersection over union (IoU) of 76% on the training set, and a DSC 87% and an IoU 79% on the independent test set. The fusion nomogram achieved areas under the ROC curves of 0.98 and 0.93 on the training and test sets, respectively, when using the automated segmentation masks. The automated segmentation nomogram performed comparably to the model using manual segmentations for predicting lymph node metastasis.Conclusion:Our TensorFlow-based MobileNetV2 U-Net provides clinicians with an automated tool to delineate OTSCC tumors and predict cervical lymph node metastasis, potentially aiding personalized surgical planning.

Tumour distance from midline is useful for predicting secondary lymph node metastasis in early-stage tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Cardiac metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of tongue

Suramin, an anti-trypanosomal agent, has gained attention for its potential anticancer activity, partly through the modulation of RNA-binding proteins such as HuR. However, its genome-wide transcriptomic effects in oral squamous cell carcinoma remain unclear. In the present study, RNA-sequencing was performed on suramin-treated HSC-3 cells, followed by enrichment, network and transcription factor analyses. In vivo validation was conducted in an orthotopic xenograft model using luciferase-labeled HSC-3 cells. Suramin was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 20 mg/kg, twice weekly. Transcriptomic profiling revealed broad downregulation of genes governing cell cycle progression, chromatin organization and DNA damage response, including mitotic regulators such as G2/M regulators CCNB1, CDC20 and AURKA, and their upstream transcription factors FOXM1 and MYBL2. By contrast, genes associated with extracellular matrix remodeling (the MMP family and TIMP3) and stress or immune responses (TXNIP and TNFSF10) were upregulated. Functional enrichment confirmed the suppression of proliferative programs with the concurrent activation of tumor-suppressive microenvironmental responses. In vivo, suramin-treated mice exhibited lower tumor growth compared with that in the control group, although the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.18). Effect size estimates were relatively large for both the group effect (partial η2=0.20) and the time x group interaction (partial η2=0.24), suggesting that the study may have been underpowered to detect this difference statistically. In conclusion, the present exploratory study suggests that suramin exerts a dual antitumor effect on tongue squamous cell carcinoma by suppressing proliferative transcriptional programs, and modulating extracellular and stress response pathways, providing a basis for future studies to further elucidate its therapeutic relevance.

This study aimed to analyze the temporal trends of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) in Brazil from 2013 to 2023, comparing young adults (20 to 44 years) to older adults (≥ 45 years). Sex, age, staging, year, and Federative Unit of diagnosis were evaluated for all cases registered under the ICD-C02 code in a public nationwide database. Statistics encompassed the Dickey-Fuller and Mann-Kendall tests, Kendall's Tau coefficient, and Sen's Slope Estimator. The registry of OTSCC increased from 2013 to 2023, with a stronger and more consistent trend in young adults. OTSCC showed a stronger, more consistent, and higher rate of increase in young females than in young males. OTSCC was diagnosed at advanced stages in both age groups. OTSCC increasing trends were pronounced in the North region. This study presented an overview of the temporal trends of OTSCC in Brazil, evidencing an increase among young women.

Biomimetic platelet membrane-engineered nanoplatforms for self-reinforcing ferroptosis-PDT synergy in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Elective neck dissection (END) for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) typically involves level 4 due to potential metastases that may bypass levels 1-2. Our study challenges this notion and investigates the necessity of level 4 inclusion in END for OTSCC. A retrospective cohort study performed in a tertiary-care university affiliated medical center and included all OTSCC patients treated with END from 2000 to 2020, with a minimum 2-year follow-up. The study compared patients with END levels 1-3 to those with levels 1-4 regarding regional recurrence, disease-specific and disease-free survival rates. 120 patients with OTSCC and clinically negative neck were included. END included levels 1-4 in 33 patients (27.5%) and levels 1-3 in the remaining 87 patients (72.5%). Out of all 33 patients who underwent END of levels 1-4, only 1 patient had level 4 metastasis (3%). There was no significant difference in the regional recurrence rate (21.8% vs. 18.2%, p = 0.66) and level 4 recurrence rate (3.5% vs. 3%, p = 0.91) between the groups. No difference regarding 5-years overall, disease-specific, and disease-free survival was demonstrated between the 1-3 END and 1-4 END groups (69.3% vs. 61.1%, Log-rank p = 0.7, 82% vs. 66.2%, Log-rank p = 0.15% and 66.4% vs. 60.7%, Log-rank p = 0.54, respectively). Inclusion of level 4 in the elective neck dissection for OTSCC does not seem to improve regional control, disease-free and overall survival. Hence, elective neck dissection of levels 1-3 seems appropriate for most cases of OTSCC, as for other oral cavity subsites.

Aim: Cisplatin resistance remains a major obstacle to the effective treatment of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). This study is dedicated to elucidating the role and mechanism of circular RNA (circRNA) hsa-circ-0001030 in modulating cisplatin sensitivity and metabolic reprogramming in TSCC.Methods: CircRNA sequencing, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization were used to test hsa-circ-0001030 expression in TSCC tissues and cell lines. Gain-of-function assays (colony formation, cell counting kit-8, Transwell assay, and xenograft models) were conducted to evaluate proliferation, invasion, and cisplatin response. Mechanistic studies, including RNA pull-down, RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation, and western blotting, were performed to identify pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) as a binding partner of hsa-circ-0001030 and to assess glycolytic activity, glucose uptake, and lactate production.Results: Hsa-circ-0001030 was markedly downregulated in TSCC and cisplatin-resistant cells. Overexpression of hsa-circ-0001030 suppressed tumor growth, migration, and glycolytic flux, while enhancing cisplatin sensitivity both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, hsa-circ-0001030 directly bound to PKM2 at nucleotides 138-169, inhibited PKM2 enzymatic activity, restraining tetramer formation and increased tyrosine 105 (Tyr105) phosphorylation and thereby blocking PKM2-driven glycolysis. Clinically, low hsa-circ-0001030 expression correlated with advanced tumor-node-metastasis stage, poor differentiation, and unsatisfying prognosis in TSCC patients.Conclusion: Hsa-circ-0001030 acted as a tumor-suppressive circRNA that might depress PKM2-dependent metabolic reprogramming and cisplatin resistance in TSCC, highlighting its potential as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for overcoming chemoresistance.

Prediction of lymph node metastasis and recurrence risk in early-stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma with fully automated MRI deep learning.

Although not widely known, several types of cancers express histamine. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue is one such cancer, and histamine expression is associated with the tumor microenvironment. Our aim was to examine whether histamine expression is a useful prognostic factor for tongue SCC. Histamine cannot be accurately measured directly because it is rapidly degraded after secretion. Therefore, L-histidine decarboxylase (HDC), an enzyme that synthesizes histamine in a single step, was used to estimate histamine secretion. In a retrospective study, tongue SCC samples from patients were immunohistochemically stained for HDC; the staining intensity was semi-quantified and evaluated relative to indices used in histopathological diagnosis. High expression of HDC was associated with the worst tumor invasion and tumor budding. Overall survival curves revealed that patients with tongue SCC showing high HDC expression had a poor prognosis. The expression of histamine may be a prognostic indicator for tongue SCC.

Trans-hairline robotic neck dissection and robotic microvascular free flap reconstruction in oral cavity cancer.

Age-related differences in tongue squamous cell carcinoma: Insights from propensity score-matched analyses

Comparative analysis of HPV prevalence and genotype distribution in patients with base of tongue, cervical, and tonsillar squamous cell carcinomas: Indications of a shift in HPV genotype patterns

DPM1 expression as a potential prognostic tumor marker in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Evaluation of the Apoptotic Effect of Carbamazepine on Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line (In Vitro study)

Automatic prediction of depth of invasion in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma using a multimodal regression network fusing prior text and anatomical knowledge.

Elaeodendron buchananii (Loes.) Loes. stem bark: Unveiling the phytochemical profiles and selective bioactivity to combat tongue cancer.

An interpretable machine learning model using SHapley Additive exPlanations for preoperative cervical lymph node metastasis risk stratification in tongue squamous cell carcinoma: a multicenter study.

To identify T1N0M0 oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) patient subgroups benefiting most from neck dissection (ND) based on the SEER database. Patients with T1N0M0 OTSCC were identified from the SEER database. Propensity score-matching (PSM) was utilized to balance baseline characteristics between ND and non-ND groups. Survival differences between these groups were compared using Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis and log-rank tests. Additionally, a multivariable Cox regression model was applied to the pre-matched cohort to identify independent prognostic factors. In total, 2426 cases were included. In the multivariable model adjusted for key prognosticators, ND was an independent factor associated with significantly improved OS and DSS. After PSM, 1702 well-balanced patients were analyzed. Subgroup analyses based on tumor characteristics revealed that favorable survival outcomes associated with ND were predominantly observed in patients with tumor sizes 11-20 mm and those with moderate or poor/undifferentiated differentiation. For patients with small tumors (1-10 mm) or well-differentiated histology, survival outcomes were comparable between the ND and observation groups. ND was associated with improved survival for T1N0M0 OTSCC patients with 11-20 mm tumors and moderate/poor/undifferentiated differentiation. For patients with smaller tumors (1-10 mm) or well-differentiated histology, the observation strategy had demonstrated survival benefits comparable to ND.

To evaluate the prognostic value of the worst pattern of invasion-5 (WPOI-5) for patients with pathologically early-stage and low-risk oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). A total of 224 patients treated between 2005 and 2016 were analyzed. WPOI-5 was defined as tumor satellites ≥ 1 mm from the main tumor or nearest satellite. Its prognostic impact on cancer-specific survival (CSS) and locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) was assessed, and a WPOI-5-based nomogram was developed. Patients with WPOI-5 had significantly worse 5-year CSS and LRRFS (both p < 0.001). In Cox analysis, WPOI-5 independently predicted poorer CSS (HR 6.908, p = 0.006) and LRRFS (HR 14.910, p < 0.001). Adding WPOI-5 improved the nomogram's 5-year LRRFS AUC from 0.789 to 0.842. WPOI-5 is an adverse prognostic factor in pathologically early-stage, low-risk OTSCC and may justify trials of adjuvant therapy in these patients.