Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Introduction
Galectin-9, a β-galactoside-binding protein, might be a potential target in cancer personalized therapy, but contradicting data exist regarding its prognostic significance in malignancy. Previous studies showed low or absent expression of galectin-9 on tumour cells of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC); thus, we aimed to assess the prognostic impact of its expression on tumour-associated immune cells (TAICs).Material and methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted on 62 patients with OSCC. Tissue microarrays were constructed with chemo- and radiotherapy-naïve tissue samples and stained with anti-galectin-9 antibody. Cytoplasmic reactions in TAICs were counted as positive, and the percentage of galectin-9-positive cells was calculated.Results
The expression of galectin-9 was not associated with any demographic factors, other than diabetes mellitus type 2, for which there were lower levels of expression (p = 0.029). Higher levels of galectin-9 were associated with less locally advanced tumours (p = 0.023) and lack of nodal metastases (p = 0.014). Galectin-9 expression positively correlated with PD-L1 expression on TAICs (p = 0.009). Patients with > 50% galectin-9-positive cells were determined to have a superior 5-year overall survival (p = 0.029).Conclusions
Future studies are necessary to investigate the effects of galectin-9 on the tumour micro-environment, and galectin-9-targeted treatment may be considered, especially with its correlation to PD-L1 in OSCC.
SUBMITTER: Peksa R
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10230243 | biostudies-literature | 2023
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Pęksa Rafał R Kunc Michał M Piątek Michał M Radecka Barbara S BS Jereczek-Fossa Barbara Alicja BA Starzyńska Anna A
Contemporary oncology (Poznan, Poland) 20230427 1
<h4>Introduction</h4>Galectin-9, a β-galactoside-binding protein, might be a potential target in cancer personalized therapy, but contradicting data exist regarding its prognostic significance in malignancy. Previous studies showed low or absent expression of galectin-9 on tumour cells of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC); thus, we aimed to assess the prognostic impact of its expression on tumour-associated immune cells (TAICs).<h4>Material and methods</h4>A retrospective analysis was conducte ...[more]