%0 Journal Article
%A Stögbauer, Fabian
%A Beck, Susanne
%A Ourailidis, Iordanis
%A Hess, Jochen
%A Poremba, Christopher
%A Lauterbach, Maren
%A Wollenberg, Barbara
%A Buchberger, Anna Maria Stefanie
%A Jesinghaus, Moritz
%A Schirmacher, Peter
%A Stenzinger, Albrecht
%A Weichert, Wilko
%A Boxberg, Melanie
%A Budczies, Jan
%T Tumour budding-based grading as independent prognostic biomarker in HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck cancer.
%J British journal of cancer
%V 128
%N 12
%@ 0007-0920
%C Edinburgh
%I Nature Publ. Group
%M DKFZ-2023-00738
%P 2295-2306
%D 2023
%Z 2023 Jun;128(12):2295-2306
%X The prognostic significance of tumour budding (TB) and minimal cell nest size (MCNS) was shown in human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). However, the optimisation of cutpoints, the prognostic impact in HPV-positive HNSCC, and the comparison with other histopathological grading systems are insufficiently investigated.TB and MCNS were analysed digitally in 1 and 10 high-power fields (HPF) of 331 HPV-positive and HPV-negative cases from TCGA. Optimising the cutpoints a new cellular dissociation grading (CDG) system was defined and compared to the WHO grading and the Brandwein-Gensler (BG) risk model.The two-tiered CDG system based solely on TB yielded optimal prognostic stratification with shortened overall survival for CDG-high cases. Optimal cut-offs were two buds (1 HPF) and six buds (10 HPF), respectively. Analysing MCNS did not add prognostic significance to quantifying TB. CDG was a significant prognostic marker in HPV-negative and HPV-positive tumours and prognostically superior to the WHO and BG systems. High CDG was associated with clinically occult lymph-node metastases.The most comprehensive study of TB in HNSCC so far confirmed its prognostic impact in HPV-negative tumours and for the first time in HPV-positive tumours. Further studies are warranted to evaluate its applicability for therapy guidance in HNSCC.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%$ pmid:37045906
%R 10.1038/s41416-023-02240-y
%U https://inrepo02.dkfz.de/record/275372