Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42758366›Full record

ArticleHead and neck pathology2026

An Accessible Approach to Molecular and Biomarker Testing for Risk Stratification in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Michelle Afkhami, N Haghighi, H Ma, A Reyes, F Fei, T Dyer, M Telatar, J Arias-Romero, Y Haghighi, A Mehrazma and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Head and neck pathology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Michelle AfkhamiDepartment of Pathology, Division of Molecular Pathology & Therapy Biomarkers CLIA Director, COH-Clinical Molecular Genomics and Cytogenomics Laboratories Medical Director, Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Chief, 4900 Rivergrade, Suite D220-A2 Room 2138, 91706, Irwindale, CA, USA. mafkhami@coh.org.
N HaghighiDepartment of Pathology, Division of Molecular Pathology & Therapy Biomarkers CLIA Director, COH-Clinical Molecular Genomics and Cytogenomics Laboratories Medical Director, Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Chief, 4900 Rivergrade, Suite D220-A2 Room 2138, 91706, Irwindale, CA, USA.
H MaDepartment of Computational and Quantitative Medicine-Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
A ReyesDepartment of Medical Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
F FeiDepartment of Pathology, Division of Molecular Pathology & Therapy Biomarkers CLIA Director, COH-Clinical Molecular Genomics and Cytogenomics Laboratories Medical Director, Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Chief, 4900 Rivergrade, Suite D220-A2 Room 2138, 91706, Irwindale, CA, USA.
T DyerDepartment of Pathology, Division of Molecular Pathology & Therapy Biomarkers CLIA Director, COH-Clinical Molecular Genomics and Cytogenomics Laboratories Medical Director, Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Chief, 4900 Rivergrade, Suite D220-A2 Room 2138, 91706, Irwindale, CA, USA.
M TelatarDepartment of Pathology, Division of Molecular Pathology & Therapy Biomarkers CLIA Director, COH-Clinical Molecular Genomics and Cytogenomics Laboratories Medical Director, Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Chief, 4900 Rivergrade, Suite D220-A2 Room 2138, 91706, Irwindale, CA, USA.
J Arias-RomeroDepartment of Medical Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
Y HaghighiDepartment of Pathology, Division of Molecular Pathology & Therapy Biomarkers CLIA Director, COH-Clinical Molecular Genomics and Cytogenomics Laboratories Medical Director, Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Chief, 4900 Rivergrade, Suite D220-A2 Room 2138, 91706, Irwindale, CA, USA.
A MehrazmaDepartment of Pathology, Division of Molecular Pathology & Therapy Biomarkers CLIA Director, COH-Clinical Molecular Genomics and Cytogenomics Laboratories Medical Director, Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Chief, 4900 Rivergrade, Suite D220-A2 Room 2138, 91706, Irwindale, CA, USA.
E MassarelliDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology and Hematology, University of Texas Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA.
R BakkarDepartment of Pathology, Division of Anatomic Pathology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
P TizroDepartment of Pathology, Division of Molecular Pathology & Therapy Biomarkers CLIA Director, COH-Clinical Molecular Genomics and Cytogenomics Laboratories Medical Director, Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Chief, 4900 Rivergrade, Suite D220-A2 Room 2138, 91706, Irwindale, CA, USA.
D BellDepartment of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
V M VillaflorChao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medical Oncology, Division of Head and Neck Oncology, University of California Irvine, Orange County, CA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionOral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is a common epithelial malignancy for which site-specific biomarkers with proven prognostic utility remain limited. In this study, we present one of the largest single-center, site-specific molecular analyses of OCSCC to date. Using two separate versions of multigene next-generation sequencing (NGS), we sought to identify a focused set of clinically actionable and widely accessible biomarkers that could support diagnosis, prognostication, and therapeutic decision-making. Our findings highlight the potential of a limited molecular panel to capture key prognostic information, supporting a more accessible and scalable approach to precision oncology in OCSCC. PATIENTS AND

methodsSeventy-three adult patients (ages 19-85 years) with site-specific OCSCC treated at City of Hope between 2019 and 2023 were included. Tissue specimens were collected at initial diagnosis or recurrence and analyzed using NGS panels for both DNA and RNA. Sequencing identified single nucleotide variants, copy number alterations, and gene fusions. Associations between genomic alterations and overall survival (OS) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests with significance set at p < 0.05.

resultsTP53 and TERT-promoter oncogenic variants were the most frequent alterations, co-occurring in 64.4% of cases regardless of disease stage (primary vs. recurrence). Pathogenic variants in CDKN2A, HRAS, PIK3CA, BRCA1, and CASP8 were enriched among patients who developed recurrence. In this group, copy number amplification of CCND1, FGF3, FGF4, FGF19, RPS6KA4, RPS6KB2, and MYC, along with copy number loss of CDKN2A and CDKN2B, were observed. Lower PD-L1 expression, absence of TERT-promoter mutations (PMs), and focal amplification of 11q13 were associated with poor overall survival in univariate analysis (all p < 0.05).

conclusionsMultigene NGS profiling revealed recurrent genomic alterations and prognostic biomarkers in OCSCC. Based on these findings, we propose an initial biomarker panel comprising TP53 and PD-L1 (22C3 clone) immunostains, along with TP53 and TERT PM analysis. Collectively, these assays capture key prognostic biomarkers associated with adverse outcomes, including low PD-L1 expression (CPS < 20) and the absence of TERT PMs in relation to overall survival. In addition, copy-number assessment of 11q13, MYC (8q), and CDKN2A (9p) may warrant further investigation for future clinical application.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorMouth NeoplasmsSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHigh-Throughput Nucleotide SequencingHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisRisk AssessmentYoung AdultBiomarkers, Tumor

Identifiers

PMID42758366
PMCPMC13589004

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.