A Pilot Study of the Inflammatory Response in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Saliva Analysis

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) often shows a pronounced inflammatory infiltrate. There is accumulating evidence that this inflammatory infiltrate plays an active role in tumor development and progression. We developed a protocol for collection and analysis of saliva and used it to characterize inflammatory cell and cytokine profile in the saliva of patients with OSCC. 37 patients with OSCC, 24 healthy patients, and 8 patients with periodontitis provided a saliva sample. Supernatants were analyzed using Luminex-based 30-Plex inflammatory panel. Cell pellets were fixed and analyzed using multichannel flow cytometry. The fluorescent markers included CD45, CD66b, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, CD56, CD68, CD138, Siglec8, PD1 and PDL1. OSCC group showed distinctive pattern of inflammation, with significantly higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), CD4/CD8 ratio and IL1b, IL6 and TNFa concentration levels. Late stage disease was associated with higher NLR and CD4/CD8 ratio with increased IL1b and IL6.M.Sc