Author(s)

Zhenqi Xu^1*, Jianwei Shang²

¹Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, Tianjin, China.
²Department of Oral Pathology, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, Tianjin, China.

Objectives: To explore the role of the growth of new nerves (neo-neurogenesis) in the tumorogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of tongue. Materials and Methods: 10 formalin-fixed specimens were gained from patients diagnosed with tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Animal models were made by subcutaneous injection in the dorsal midline with Tca-8113 cell line. Mice were sacrificed 2, 4, 6 weeks after cell injection, and tumor tissues were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, embedded in paraffin, sectioned. Detection of neo-neurogenesis was stained by Neurofila-ment-L antibody (NF-L) using immunohistochemistry method (IHC) in biopsy from both human body and animal model. Results: IHC staining of NF-L is positive in all 10 paraffins of tongue squamous cell carcinoma sections which suggest that newly formed nerves are observed in tumor microenvironment. NF-L staining is also positive in the paraffins from animal models indicating that the tongue cancer recruits newly formed nerves in its tumorogenesis. Conclusions: Tumor neo-neurogenesis may play an important role in the pathogenesis and development of tongue cancer. From a therapeutic perspective, further studies on the topic may provide new clinical opportunity.

Neoneurogenesis, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Tongue, Neurofilament-L, Immunohistochemistry

Xu, Z. and Shang, J. (2019) Neoneurogenesis in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Tongue: A New Mechanism for Its Development. Open Journal of Stomatology, 9, 102-107. doi: 10.4236/ojst.2019.95011.