Expression of CD73 and VEGF in salivary gland carcinomas: associations with clinicopathological characteristics in Vietnamese population.

BACKGROUND: Salivary gland carcinoma is a rare malignancy with diverse histological subtypes and poor prognosis, particularly when diagnosed at advanced stages. Recent evidence suggests that biomarkers such as CD73 and VEGF may play important roles in tumor progression and immune evasion, yet limited studies have evaluated their expression and clinical significance in Southeast Asian populations. This study aimed to determine the expression rates of CD73 and VEGF in salivary gland carcinoma and identify clinicopathological factors associated with their expression in a Vietnamese patient cohort. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 111 salivary gland carcinoma patients who underwent surgical treatment in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Immunohistochemical analysis of CD73, VEGF, and Ki-67 expression was performed on paraffin-embedded tumor samples. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors independently associated with biomarker expression. RESULTS: CD73 and VEGF were expressed in 53.2% and 66.7% of salivary gland carcinoma cases, respectively. CD73 expression was significantly associated with female gender (OR = 2.74, 95% CI 1.07-7.01), tumor stage T2 (OR = 6.59, 95% CI 1.36-31.90) and T4 (OR = 9.13, 95% CI 1.68-49.66), mucoepidermoid carcinoma subtype (OR = 10.62, 95% CI 2.77-40.69), and higher Ki-67 levels (OR = 3.61 per 10% increase, 95% CI 1.26-10.31). In contrast, lymph node level N2 was inversely associated with CD73 (OR = 0.08, 95% CI 0.01-0.70). VEGF expression was independently more likely in patients with normal body mass index compared to those who were overweight or obese (OR = 0.30 for overweight/obese vs. normal, 95% CI 0.12-0.78), and was also associated with increased Ki-67 expression (OR = 2.95, 95% CI 1.09-7.99). CONCLUSIONS: High expression rates of CD73 and VEGF suggest their potential as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in salivary gland carcinoma. Their associations with tumor stage, histology, BMI, and proliferation index (Ki-67) highlight the need for further research on personalized treatments. These findings provide important insights into biomarker expression in Vietnamese salivary gland carcinoma patients and lay the groundwork for biomarker-driven therapeutic strategies.