Base of tongue cancer—is it tongue cancer located at the base of the tongue, or is it a type of lingual tonsil cancer? The perspective from a genomic analysis

• Published in: International journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery Vol. 47; no. 7; pp. 846 - 853
• Main Authors: Kim, K., Choi, K.Y., Kim, J.H., Park, I.S., Rho, Y.S., Lee, D.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Denmark Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2018
• Subjects: BOT cancer; copy number alteration; Dentistry; Female; Gene Expression; Genomics - methods; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mutation; Retrospective Studies; somatic mutation; Survival Analysis; tongue cancer; Tongue Neoplasms - genetics; Tongue Neoplasms - pathology; tonsil cancer; Tonsillar Neoplasms - genetics; Tonsillar Neoplasms - pathology; BOT cancer; tongue cancer; copy number alteration; somatic mutation; gene expression; tonsil cancer
• ISSN: 0901-5027; 1399-0020
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijom.2018.01.017

The aim of this study was to determine whether base of tongue (BOT) cancer is tongue cancer located at the base of the tongue or lingual tonsil cancer originating from tonsil tissue. This was a retrospective study using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The genomic patterns of three primary cancers (BOT, oral tongue, and tonsil) were compared to determine their similarities and differences. Gene expression data (n=193; 26 BOT, 125 oral tongue, and 42 tonsil cases), copy number alteration data (n=142; 19 BOT, 96 oral tongue, and 27 tonsil cases), and somatic mutation data (n=187; 25 BOT, 122 oral tongue, and 40 tonsil cases) were analyzed using the t-test, heatmap analysis, and OncoPrint, respectively. Clinical information for the three tumour groups was included in the analyses. When using multiplatform analysis, BOT cancer showed nearly the same genomic pattern as tonsil cancer, but not oral tongue cancer. The χ2 test and survival analysis revealed that BOT cancer had the same clinical and survival patterns as tonsil cancer. In conclusion, BOT cancer showed a genomic pattern similar to that of tonsil cancer, but different to that of oral tongue cancer. Further prospective studies are warranted before the results of this study can be applied in a clinical setting.