The Role of Chemokine Receptors in Salivary Gland Tumors

Abstract

Background In this thesis the chemokine receptor profile of salivary gland tumors was investigated to find differences in the expression of chemokines between normal tissue and tumor tissue. This data could be of significance for the development of a targeted therapy through immunotherapy to influence tumor progression and/or tumor relapse. Furthermore, the molecular pathology of salivary gland tumors could be better understood. Methods In this retrospective study, 70 paraffin-embedded patient samples were processed in the laboratory. RNA was extracted and analyzed via qPCR. The chemokine receptor profiles were statistically analyzed . The salivary gland tumor tissue was compared to healthy tissue from tonsils and lymph nodes. Additionally, squamous and glandular salivary gland tumor tissue was statistically compared. The data were plotted in a heatmap, and a survival analysis was performed. Results Although scientific literature describes an increased expression of CXCR4, CXCR7, CCR4 or CCR7 in salivary gland tumors, no such increased expression could be found in this thesis. When directly comparing squamous and glandular phenotypes of salivary gland tumors, no statistically significant differences could be found. The survival analysis showed that patients with salivary gland tumors that had a low expression in CCR6 and/or CCR10 have a higher death rate. Conclusion No statistically significant results were found in this thesis. However, the survival analysis showed an increase in the death rate of patients with tumors with low CCR-gene expression for CCR6 and CCR10. There are several other studies suggesting that a low CCR6 expression might be a prognostic factor for poor survival. Therefore, this result should be further studied in larger cohorts.

Datum der Bewilligung	2025
Originalsprache	Englisch
Gradverleihende Hochschule	Medizinische Universität Graz
Betreuer/-in	Ariane Aigelsreiter (Betreuer*in) & Marlene Leoni (Mitbetreuer*in)