Increased Nerve Density Adversely Affects Outcome in Oral Cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Perineural invasion (PNI) in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is associated with poor survival. Because of the risk of recurrence, patients with PNI receive additional therapies after surgical resection. Mechanistic studies have shown that nerves in the tumor microenvironment promote aggressive tumor growth. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated whether nerve density (ND) influences tumor growth and patient survival. Moreover, we assessed the reliability of artificial intelligence (AI) in evaluating ND.

Experimental design

To investigate whether increased ND in OSCC influences patient outcome, we performed survival analyses. Tissue sections of OSCC from 142 patients were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and IHC stains to detect nerves and tumor. ND withi

SUBMITTER: Perez-Pacheco C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10371054 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature