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Soo Park, MD
Soo Park, MD
Posted: Tuesday, April 9, 2024
When increased expression is seen on the surface of tumor cells, complement C5a receptor 1 (C5aR1) may act as a novel biomarker for metastasis risk and for poor prognosis in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Veli-Matti Kähäri, MD, PhD, of the University of Turku, Finland, and colleagues presented their work during the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 (Abstract LB207/2). The results also suggest C5aR1 as a potential novel therapeutic target for patients with locally advanced and metastatic (SCC).
Currently, the authors noted, no established molecular markers predict the metastasis risk and prognosis of patients with primary cutaneous SCC. Generally, metastatic cutaneous SCC has a poor prognosis.
With staining, Dr. Kähäri and co-investigators detected C5aR1 on the surface of tumor cells in the invasive edge of human cutaneous SCC xenograft tumors in vivo. Such staining, with multiplexed fluorescence and chromogenic immunohistochemistry, “revealed stronger expression of C5aR1 on [the] surface of cutaneous SCC tumor cells compared [with the surfaces of] epidermal cells in cutaneous SCC in situ, actinic keratosis, and normal skin,” they continued.
The team also reported that the expression of C5aR1 increased in cutaneous SCC cells in a three-dimensional spheroid co-culture model in the presence of fibroblasts. Further, treatment with recombinant C5a increased invasion of cutaneous SCC cells in this model.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
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