Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34391381›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2021

Downregulation of CCL22 and mutated NOTCH1 in tongue and mouth floor squamous cell carcinoma results in decreased Th2 cell recruitment and expression, predicting poor clinical outcome.

Xuejie Li, Zheqi Liu, Wenkai Zhou, Xiaofang Liu, Wei Cao

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 43% of its field
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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The prognostic value of lymphatic vessel density in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
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  6. Article
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

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Xuejie Li *Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, People's Republic of China.
Zheqi Liu *Department of Oral and Maxillofacial & Head and Neck, Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
Wenkai ZhouDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial & Head and Neck, Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
Xiaofang LiuDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, People's Republic of China. liuxiaofang2006@163.com.
Wei CaoDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial & Head and Neck, Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China. caowei561521@hotmail.com.
First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University · CNShanghai Ninth People's Hospital · CNShanghai Jiao Tong University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTongue and mouth floor squamous cell carcinoma (T/MF SCC) exhibits a high rate of local recurrence and cervical lymph node metastasis. The effect of the tumor microenvironment on T/MF SCC remains unclear. MATERIALS AND

methodsTranscriptome and somatic mutation data of patients with T/MF SCC were obtained from HNSC projects of the Cancer Genome Atlas. Immune infiltration quantification in early- (clinical stage I-II) and advanced-stage (clinical stage III-IV) T/MF SCC was performed using single sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and MCPcounter. Differentially expressed gene data were filtered, and their function was assessed through Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis and Cox regression model were conducted to evaluate the survival of patients with the CCL22 signature. Maftools was used to present the overview of somatic mutations.

resultsIn T/MF SCC, T helper (Th)2 cell counts were significantly increased in patients with early-stage disease compared to those with advanced-stage disease. Expression of the Th2 cell-related chemokine, CCL22, was downregulated in patients with advanced-stage T/MF SCC. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses revealed that CCL22 was a good prognostic factor in T/MF SCC. A nomogram based on the expression of CCL22 was constructed to serve as a prognostic indicator for T/MF SCC. NOTCH1 mutations were found at a higher rate in patients with advanced-stage T/MF SCC than in those with early-stage T/MF SCC, resulting in the inhibition of the activation of the NOTCH1-Th2 cell differentiation pathway. The expression levels of CCL22, GATA-3, and IL4 were higher in patients with early-stage T/MF SCC than in those with advanced-stage T/MF SCC.

conclusionIn T/MF SCC, high expression of CCL22 may promote the recruitment of Th2 cells and help predict a better survival. Mutations in NOTCH1 inhibit the differentiation of Th2 cells, facilitating tumor progression through a decrease in Th2 cell recruitment and differentiation.

Indexed as

AdultAgedCarcinoma, Squamous CellChemokine CCL22Chemotaxis, LeukocyteComputational BiologyFemaleGATA3 Transcription FactorGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateLymphocyte CountLymphocytes, Tumor-InfiltratingMaleMiddle AgedCCL22 protein, humanChemokine CCL22GATA3 protein, humanGATA3 Transcription FactorNOTCH1 protein, humanReceptor, Notch1CCL22NOTCH1TCGATh2 cellsTongue and mouth floor SCC

Identifiers

PMID34391381
PMCPMC8364714
OpenAlexW3196264701

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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 OpenQuestion graph.