Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: Histopathological analysis and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters
Divya Sharma, Nishta Gupta, Anand Kumar VermaABSTRACT
Background:
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) reflect the immune system’s response to cancer and their significance in Oral cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OCSCC) is being increasingly recognized.
Aim:
This study is aimed to evaluate the histopathological presence and distribution of TILs in OCSCC and correlate them with clinicopathological parameters such as tumor grade, stage, perineural invasion (PNI) and lymphovascular invasion (LVI).
Material and Methods:
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 41 patients with OCSCC using tissue samples stained with hematoxylin and eosin. TILs were quantified in stromal and intratumoral regions and statistically correlated with clinical parameters using SPSS version 26.
Results:
High stromal TILs were observed in 90.2% of patients, while only 17% showed high intratumoral TILs. A significant inverse association was observed between TIL scores and tumor stage. Also statistical significance was noted between PNI and low stromal TILs.
Conclusion:
Morphological assessment of TILs using the H and E-stained sections can aid in immune-based classification and prognostication of OCSCC. TIL scoring can be incorporated into clinicopathological prognostic models and can be further explored for targeted immune therapies in OCSCC.