Prospects for the application and clinical significance morphological predictors and molecular biomarkers of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes of oral, head, and neck cancer with a poor prognosis and low survival rate, making it a particularly serious health threat to patients. The incidence of TSCC varies worldwide, with 3,431 cases of tongue cancer being reported in Russia in 2023, accounting for a significant proportion of the total number of oral cancer cases (6,346). In the United States, 19,360 new cases of tongue cancer were reported in 2024. Although morphologic characteristics of TSCC, such as histologic grade (G), depth of tumor invasion (DOI), pattern of invasion (WPOI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and perineural invasion (Pn), are widely used to assess prognosis and develop treatment plans, these traditional markers have certain limitations in predicting individual patient survival and long-term prognosis. Therefore, in recent years, the introduction of molecular biomarkers such as p53 and Ki-67 has greatly improved the accuracy of prognostic assessment. However, due to the heterogeneity of molecular markers in different populations, the specific mechanisms of action of these markers in TSCC have not yet been fully understood. To solve these problems, integrating multivariate data and developing a multiparameter prognostic assessment system will be the key to future research, which will not only help improve the diagnosis accuracy of TSCC, but also facilitate the development of personalized treatment plans, thereby improving the survival rate and quality of life of patients.
Keywords: squamous cell carcinoma, tongue tumors, tumor biomarkers, TP53, Ki-67, HPV-16, prognosis, Immunohistochemistry, tumor invasiveness
Conflicts of interest. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding. There was no funding for this study