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Background: The aim of this study was to determine the significance of elective neck dissection (END) for patients of different ages with T2N0M0 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and sought to analyze the reasons behind it and its value for clinical guidance. Methods: This study enrolled 391 patients with T2N0M0 OSCC who were surgically treated in our hospital and were divided into young‐, moderate‐, and advanced‐age groups according to our previous study. The Chi‐square test and Kaplan–Meier analysis were performed for statistical analysis. Results: Compared with moderate‐ and advanced‐age patients, young patients with T2N0M0 OSCC had higher lymph node metastasis rates and lymph node ratios. Therefore, END significantly improved the recurrence (p = 0.001) and survival (p = 0.001) for young patients, but not for moderate‐age patients. Advanced‐age patients even benefit from watchful waiting. END significantly improved recurrence and survival in young patients with smoking or alcohol consumption habits. Conclusions: END improved the prognosis of young patients, and it was related to their higher metastasis rate. However, advanced‐age patients benefited from the wait‐and‐see policy. END is essential for the young patients with smoking or drinking habit, it is also highly recommended for nonsmokers and nondrinkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterogeneity of tumour cells enables cancers to dynamically adapt to microenvironmental stresses during progression. However, the mechanism underlying the transformation and intercellular communication between heterogeneous tumour cells has remained elusive. Here, we report a "contagion model" that mediates intercellular transformation between heterogeneous tumour cells which facilitates tumour progression. Initially identifying heterogeneous expression of CXCR1, a receptor for interleukin‐8, in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tumour cells, we found that CXCR1High tumour cells had higher abilities for migration and invasion. Following interleukin‐8‐mediated activation, CXCR1High cells transformed CXCR1Low cells into CXCR1High cells through the secretion of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), which increased the proportion of CXCR1High cells and facilitated tumour progression. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that sEVs derived from interleukin‐8‐activated CXCR1High cells contain high levels of ATP citrate lyase (ACLY), which acetylates NF‐κB p65 and facilitates its nuclear translocation to transcribe CXCR1 in CXCR1Low cells. That process could be inhibited by Bempedoic acid, an FDA‐approved ACLY‐targeted drug. Taken together, our study reveals an sEV‐mediated transformation of CXCR1Low to CXCR1High cells that promotes HNSCC progression. This provides a new paradigm to explain the dynamic changes of heterogeneous tumour cells, and identifies Bempedoic acid as a potential drug for HNSCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of modified vermilion border‐marionette line (MVBML) approach on postoperative facial scar, nerves injury, and prognosis of patients with buccal squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC). Patients and Methods: This is a single‐center, prospective cohort study that enrolled 80 patients with BSCC from June 2015 to December 2020. According to the different surgical approaches, the patients were divided into two groups: the lower lip median (LLM) approach group and the MVBML approach group. Results: The results showed that the appearance (p = 0.003), scar consciousness (p < 0.001) and satisfaction with appearance (p = 0.001) of patients in the MVBML group were significantly better than those in the LLM group, and the difference was more obvious in elderly group. Statistical analysis of postoperative nerves injury showed that the MVBML group had a lower risk of facial and mental nerves injury than the LLM group, and there was a significant statistical difference in mental nerve injury between the two groups (p < 0.001). Through Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, we found no significant difference in disease‐specific survival (p = 0.47) or disease‐free survival (p = 0.70) between the LLM approach group and the MVBML approach group. Conclusions: The MVBML surgical approach is worthy of advancement for the surgical treatment of BSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the family history of cancer (FHC) in predicting survival and clinicopathological features in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients. Materials and Methods: This single‐institution study utilized data from 610 patients undergoing surgery from 2014 to 2020 that was prospectively collected and cataloged for research purposes. All patients underwent standard surgery with/without radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. We statistically evaluated whether FHC was associated with changes in disease‐free survival (DFS) and disease‐specific survival (DSS). Results: Among 610 patients, 141 (23.1%) reported a family history of cancer. The distribution of clinicopathological characteristics was balanced between FHC‐positive and FHC‐negative OSCC patients. FHC‐positive patients had decreased DFS (p = 0.005) and DSS (p = 0.018) compared to FHC‐negative patients. Conclusions: FHC‐positive OSCC patients have a poorer prognosis. FHC positivity is an independent predictor of negative outcomes based on DFS and DSS. FHC should be a consideration in screening, evaluating, counseling, and treating OSCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objectives of this study were to estimate the prognostic value of the tumour‐stroma ratio (TSR) and tumour budding (TB) in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) and to establish a reliable model to predict the outcome of OTSCC patients. Methods: A total of 103 patients surgically treated at our hospital were enrolled in this study. Chi‐square tests, Kaplan–Meier analyses and Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed for statistical analysis. Results: Fifty‐six patients were categorized as stroma‐rich, and 47 patients were categorized as stroma‐poor. Only pathological grade was associated with the TSR (p = 0.017). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that stroma‐rich, high‐intensity budding and high risk groups were associated with worse prognosis. The Cox regression model showed that the TSR was an independent risk factor for OTSCC patients prognosis, and the high risk group was also related to poor prognosis (p < 0.05). TB was significantly associated with poor prognosis but was not an independent risk factor. Conclusions: We found that patients in the stroma‐rich group had a worse long‐term prognosis. The TSR is an independent risk factor for OTSCC patients' outcome. In addition, a risk model that combined the TSR and TB proved to be valuable for predicting OTSCC patients' outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of our study was to investigate body mass index (BMI) as a prognostic factor and to examine the relationship between pretreatment BMI and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) outcomes in northern Chinese patients. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 633 patients with OSCC who underwent surgery between 2004 and 2014. Results: Most baseline characteristics (gender, sites, smoking history, comorbidity, hypertension, T stage, clinical features, perineural invasion, flap reconstruction) were differentiated by BMI groups. Overall, the Kaplan–Meier curves indicated no significant relationship between BMI and disease‐free survival (DFS) or disease‐specific survival (DSS). Interestingly, obese patients exhibited higher risks of recurrence and death than normal‐weight patients (DFS: HR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.16–2.96; DSS: HR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.08–3.86). However, postoperative complications occurred more frequently in underweight patients than in normal‐weight patients. Conclusions: Obesity may contribute to a higher recurrence rate and a worse prognosis in OSCC patients than in normal‐weight patients in northern China. However, underweight patients have a higher risk of postoperative complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]