Trophoblast Cell Surface Antigen 2 (Trop-2) Protein is Highly Expressed in Salivary Gland Carcinomas and Represents a Potential Therapeutic Target

ORCID
0000-0001-9019-2840
Affiliation
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Cologne, Germany
Wolber, Philipp;
Affiliation
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Cologne, Germany
Nachtsheim, Lisa;
GND
1179981464
ORCID
0000-0002-6872-924X
Affiliation
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital
Hoffmann, Franziska;
Affiliation
Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Klußmann, Jens Peter;
Affiliation
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
Meyer, Moritz;
GND
1236649745
ORCID
0000-0002-8062-6999
Affiliation
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital
von Eggeling, Ferdinand;
GND
1078441464
ORCID
0000-0001-9671-0784
Affiliation
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital
Guntinas-Lichius, Orlando;
Affiliation
Department of Pathology, University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Cologne, Germany
Quaas, Alexander;
Affiliation
Department of Pathology, University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Cologne, Germany
Arolt, Christoph

Treatment options for unresectable, recurrent or metastatic salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) are scarce. Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop-2) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is involved in a variety of oncogenic cell signaling pathways. Its potential as a target for the antibody–drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan has already been demonstrated in different tumor entities. The United States Food and Drug Administration approved this antibody–drug conjugate for the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Here, we aimed to investigate Trop-2 protein expression in different entities of SGCs. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients that underwent surgery for a primary SGC in a tertiary referral center between 1990 and 2014. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for Trop-2 was performed and rated as negative, weak, moderate or high using a semiquantitative score. Additionally, representative cases were analyzed using MALDI-mass spectrometry (MS) imaging to confirm the IHC results. The cohort consisted of 114 tumors of the parotid gland (90.4%) and submandibular gland (9.6%). It mainly included mucoepidermoid, salivary duct and adenoid cystic carcinomas. In IHC samples, 44% showed high, 38% moderate and 10% weak expression rates of Trop-2. MALDI-MS imaging confirmed the presence of Trop-2 protein in 80% of the tested tumor samples. This is the first study to demonstrate that several types of SGC express Trop-2 with variable intensity. Since there are currently few systemic treatment options for advanced SGCs, Trop-2 represents a promising target for further clinical studies, for instance, with sacituzumab govitecan.

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