Prognostic factors in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: is patient delay in hospital visit a predictor of survival?

Serum Sialylation Changes in Actinic Keratosis and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), a malignant proliferation of the cutaneous epithelium, is the second most common skin cancer after basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Unlike BCC, cSCC exhibits a greater aggressiveness and the ability to metastasize to any organ in the body. Chronic inflammation and immunosuppression are important processes linked to the development of cSCC. The tumor can occur de novo or from the histological transformation of preexisting actinic keratoses (AK). Malignant cells exhibit a higher amount of sialic acid in their membranes than normal cells, and changes in the amount, type, or linkage of sialic acid in malignant cell glycoconjugates are related to tumor progression and metastasis. The aim of our study was to investigate the sialyation in patients with cSCC and patients with AK. We have determined the serum levels of total sialic acid (TSA), lipid-bound sialic acid (LSA), beta-galactoside 2,6-sialyltransferase I (ST6GalI), and neuraminidase 3 (NEU3) in 40 patients with cSCC, 28 patients with AK, and 40 healthy subjects. Data analysis indicated a significant increase in serum levels of TSA (p < 0.001), LSA (p < 0.001), ST6GalI (p < 0.001), and NEU3 (p < 0.001) in the cSCC group compared to the control group, whereas in patients with AK only the serum level of TSA was significantly higher compared to the control group (p < 0.001). When the cSCC and AK groups were compared, significant differences between the serum levels of TSA (p < 0.001), LSA (p < 0.001), ST6GalI (p < 0.001) and NEU3 (p < 0.001) were found. The rate of synthesis of sialoglycoconjugates and their rate of enzymatic degradation, expressed by the ST6GalI/NEU3 ratio, is 1.64 times lower in the cSCC group compared to the control group (p < 0.01) and 1.53 times lower compared to the AK group (p < 0.01). The tumor diameter, depth of invasion, and Ki67 were associated with higher levels of TSA and LSA. These results indicate an aberrant sialylation in cSCC that correlates with tumor aggressiveness.

Specific knockdown of HOXB7 inhibits cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell migration and invasion while inducing apoptosis via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is a major cause of death associated with nonmelanoma skin cancer. The involvement of homeobox B7 ( HOXB7) in cancers has been reported. Thus, the current study intends to explore the effect of HOXB7 on CSCC and its relationship with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Initially, microarray-based gene expression profiling of CSCC was performed, and HOXB7 was identified as an upregulated gene based on the microarray data of GSE66359 . Following this, the experimental results indicated that HOXB7 and β-catenin formed a composite, demonstrating that endogenous HOXB7 binds to β-catenin. Subsequently, CSCC cells were treated with siRNA against HOXB7 or an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to analyze any underlying regulatory mechanism of HOXB7 on the CSCC cells. Tumor growth involving xenografts in nude mice was also observed so as to explore whether or not HOXB7 could regulate subcutaneous tumor growth through in vivo culturing. To investigate the potential effects of HOXB7 on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, we determined the expression of HOXB7 and downstream genes of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Notably, siRNA-mediated knockdown of HOXB7 inhibited the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby impeding the progression of cell viability, migration, and invasion as well as of the tumor growth, although contrarily facilitating cell apoptosis. Taken together, silencing of the HOXB7 has the mechanism of inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby accelerating cell apoptosis and suppressing cell migration and invasion in CSCC, which could provide a candidate target for the CSCC treatment.

A case of an undifferentiated squamous cell carcinoma arising from an epidermal cyst

An epidermal cyst is a common benign subcutaneous tumor and rarely develops malignancy. We report a case of an undifferentiated cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) that arose from an epidermal cyst on the left side of the neck. The epidermal cyst had rapidly increased in size and presented cauliflower-like tumor. Histological study revealed undifferentiated squamous cell carcinoma that was arising from the epidermal cyst.

A metastasizing squamous cell carcinoma arising in a solitary epidermal nevus

Aim. Secondary tumor rarely develops from epidermal nevus. We present a case of a metastasizing squamous cell carcinoma that developed in a solitary epidermal nevus. Case Report. An 82-years old Japanese female was presented with a red tumor on the left axilla. She reported that the tumor developed in a congenital epidermal nevus. A biopsy of the tumor showed that a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arose from the epidermal nevus. As a lymph node metastasis was found by sentinel lymph node biopsy, the patient received surgical excision of the lesion, axillary lymph node dissection, and postoperative radiation. Discussion. Secondary tumors developing in epidermal nevus are rare. To the best of our knowledge, only in two cases including the present case, SCC developed in a solitary epidermal nevus. There is no established clinical guideline for prophylactic removal of epidermal nevus. However, a biopsy should be done if a secondary malignancy is suspected in an epidermal nevus.