Correlation of the expression of the interleukin-1 signaling pathway with prognostic factors in oral squamous cell carcinoma: an immunohistochemical study

Abstract

Objective

Interleukin (IL)-1 comprises a family of inflammation-regulating cytokines that govern various innate immune processes. This study aims to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of IL-1 family members in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and elucidate the association of their expression with clinicopathological features.

Methods

Immunohistochemical expressions of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1RA, and IL-1R1 were assessed in the parenchyma (invasion front) of 44 OSCC resections. Immunoreactivity was evaluated in association with histologic grade, perineural invasion, recurrence, and clinical staging of OSCC cases. The χ² test was employed to correlate expression levels of IL-1 family members with clinicopathologic variables, and Cox regression was used to identify independent risk factors related to poor 5-year survival.

Results

Tumor islands at the invasion front of all evaluated OSCC cases were positive, showing varying degrees of immunoreactivity for IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1RA, and IL-1R1, with a greater proportion of cases exhibiting high IL-1RA expression (62.5%). Low IL-1α immunoreactivity demonstrated a statistically significant association with increased recurrence (P = .007) and less-differentiated tumors (P = .036). No significant association of other IL-1 family members with any evaluated prognostic factors was observed.

Conclusions

The results suggest that reduced tissue expression of IL-1α is associated with increased recurrence and less-differentiated OSCC cases. The role of pro-inflammatory factors in the IL-1 signaling pathway appears to be more crucial in etiopathogenesis than in the prognostic factors of OSCC.