Expression of FoxP3 in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its biological significance.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a highly malignant tumor that is prone to lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. FoxP3 is a specific surface marker of regulatory T cells, and its role in various tumors has been confirmed, which is related to tumor progression and prognosis. However, there are relatively few studies on FoxP3 in OSCC, and the role of FoxP3 in OSCC remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the expression of FoxP3 in OSCC was analyzed using data from the TCGA public database. Additionally, 78 OSCC patient samples were analyzed using immunohistochemistry to evaluate the role of FoxP3 in the prognosis of OSCC. The data from TCGA were then investigated using GSEA to explore possible carcinogenic mechanisms. Finally, the online analysis website TIMER was used to analyze the relationship between FoxP3 expression and tumor-associated immune cells. RESULTS: The expression of FoxP3 was up-regulated in OSCC tumor tissues, and the expression level was related to the stage of OSCC. The high expression of FoxP3 was associated with better overall survival. FoxP3 expression was positively correlated with the infiltration level of CD4(+)T cells, CD8(+)T cells, macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells. CONCLUSIONS: FoxP3 plays an important role in the progression of OSCC and may be related to the prognosis of the tumor.