Pre-operative Serum Hepatocyte Growth Factor and Inflammatory Prognostic Score as Prognostic Markers in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Summary

This study aimed to explore the potential association between preoperative serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and the preliminary exploratory inflammatory prognostic score (IBPS) with postoperative overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an aggressive malignancy that influences patient prognosis and quality of life. Identifying appropriate prognostic indicators may help improve clinical decision-making. This study aimed to evaluate the association of preoperative serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and inflammatory prognostic score (IBPS) with postoperative pathological outcomes in patients with OSCC. A total of 158 subjects were enrolled in this retrospective study (2020–2022), including 79 cases in the A group (healthy control group) and 79 cases in the B group (OSCC group). Serum HGF and inflammatory markers were measured, and IBPS was calculated. Comparative analyses were performed between the A and B groups, and prognostic analyses were conducted within the B-group cohort. Logistic regression was used to examine associated factors, while survival and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to assess prognostic performance. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05). HGF levels and IBPS were significantly higher in the B group than in the A group (P < 0.05). In the B group cohort, elevated HGF and IBPS were associated with poorer prognosis (HGF OR = 2.010, 95% CI: 1.046–3.863; IBPS OR = 2.603, 95% CI: 1.316–5.148, P < 0.05) and adverse postoperative pathological outcomes. The combination of HGF and IBPS showed improved discriminative capacity for prognostic prediction (AUC = 0.776, P < 0.001). Preoperative HGF and IBPS are abnormal in OSCC patients and are associated with postoperative pathological outcomes after 20-month follow-up. These observations may support further investigations into preoperative risk stratification and clinical monitoring for patients with OSCC.

Introduction

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignant tumor of the head and neck, originating from the epithelial cells of the oral mucosa. OSCC contributes to a substantial disease burden worldwide, posing a threat to human health. According to relevant statistics, the number of newly diagnosed OSCC cases continues to grow each year, and its incidence shows certain geographical and population differences¹. From a pathological perspective, OSCC is a multifactorial, multistep, and complex process. Numerous studies have shown that long-term poor lifestyle habits, such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and human papillomavirus infection, are high-ris....

Protocol

The study was performed in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and hospital ethical guidelines and was endorsed by Wuxi Second People’s Hospital, Jiangnan University Medical Center, and the ethical committees (Ethical No. 2024-Y-231). All human biological samples (venous blood and serum aliquots) were handled in strict compliance with biosafety regulations (GB 19489-2008). All operations were performed in a biosafety cabinet to avoid sample contamination and personnel exposure. Disposal of used biological samples, contaminated pipette tips, and microcentrifuge tubes was carried out in accordance with medical waste management standards: samples and contam....

Results

Diagnostic analyses (OSCC group vs. Healthy control group)
Basic information
This study included 79 patients diagnosed with OSCC at Wuxi Second People’s Hospital, Jiangnan University Medical Center, between January 2020 and December 2022, and 79 healthy people who were admitted for physical examination were also selected as controls. The aim was to analyse the prognostic value of HGF levels and IBPS scores on the postoperative pathological outcomes of OSCC patients. The results s.......

Discussion

OSCC is the most common type of oral cancer. Its pathological characteristics are mainly defined by squamous differentiation of tumor cells. Based on similarities in cell morphology and structure with normal squamous cells, OSCC can be classified into highly differentiated, moderately differentiated, and poorly differentiated subtypes. Cancer cells in highly differentiated OSCC are similar to normal squamous cells in morphology and show a relatively regular structure, whereas poorly differentiated tumors exhibit abnormal.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Automatic haematology analyser	Sysmex Corporation	XN3000	RRID: SCR_019145 / Routine blood test (leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets count)
ELISA kit	Shanghai Qincheng Biotechnology Co. Ltd	QC-HGF-Hu	RRID: AB_2898765 / Serum HGF concentration measurement
GraphPad Prism	GraphPad Software, Inc.	9	RRID: SCR_002798 / Survival curve plotting
G*Power	Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf	3.1.9.7	RRID: SCR_013756 / Sample size estimation
Immunoturbidimetric assay reagent for CRP	Shanghai Kewa Bioengineering Co., Ltd	BH031M	RRID: AB_2898766 / Serum CRP content measurement
SPSS	IBM Corporation	28	RRID: SCR_002865 / Data statistical analysis