Insight into Classification and Risk Stratification of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Era of Emerging Biomarkers with Focus on Histopathologic Parameters

Antti A Mäkitie; Abbas Agaimy; Alhadi Almangush

doi:10.3390/cancers14225514

Insight into Classification and Risk Stratification of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Era of Emerging Biomarkers with Focus on Histopathologic Parameters

Cancers (Basel). 2022 Nov 10;14(22):5514. doi: 10.3390/cancers14225514.

Authors

Antti A Mäkitie^{1

2

3}, Abbas Agaimy⁴, Alhadi Almangush^{3

5

6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland.
² Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
³ Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
⁴ Institute of Pathology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
⁵ Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
⁶ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
⁷ Department of Pathology, University of Turku, 20521 Turku, Finland.
⁸ Faculty of Dentistry, Misurata University, Misurata 2478, Libya.

Abstract

Tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system is the cornerstone for treatment planning of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Many prognostic biomarkers have been introduced as modifiers to further improve the TNM classification of HNSCC. Here, we provide an overview on the use of the recent prognostic biomarkers, with a focus on histopathologic parameters, in improving the risk stratification of HNSCC and their application in the next generation of HNSCC staging systems.

Keywords: biomarker; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) staging system.

Grants and funding

na/Helsinki University Hospital