The Role of Neutrophils in The Invasive Behaviour of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral cancers are the 15th leading cause of cancer death in Canada with an overall high mortality rate (Canadian Cancer Society, 2013). A review of the current literature on neutrophils supports a pro-tumour role of neutrophils in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) but the precise mechanisms still need to be clarified. The interaction between human neutrophils and human oral cancer cell line (UMSCC47) was investigated using quantitative in vitro invasion and matrix degradation assays. Both direct and indirect co-cultures of UMSCC47 and neutrophils increased the invasiveness of cancer cells through and increase in the number of invadopodia and matrix degradation. The results of this study show that neutrophils increase the invasiveness of OSCC through the activation of invadopodia, suggesting that the presence of neutrophils in the oral environment may modulate the clinical behaviour of OSCC.