{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T06:06:19Z","timestamp":1788933979457,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Wiley","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788825600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788825600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Oral Diseases"],"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Neoadjuvant chemotherapy response is highly variable in locally advanced oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. SOX2, a stemness\u2010associated transcription factor, promotes chemoresistance through cancer stem cell maintenance. No prior study has evaluated pretreatment SOX2 protein expression as a predictor of pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in this disease. We present the first retrospective evaluation of this question, assessed against the Hirakawa tumour regression grading system.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Fifty\u2010four patients with locally advanced oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by curative surgery were analysed retrospectively. SOX2 immunohistochemistry was performed on paired pre\u2010 and post\u2010treatment specimens in 47 patients, defined as the primary analytic cohort. Pathological response was graded using the Hirakawa tumour regression grading system. Kaplan\u2013Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed for event\u2010free and overall survival. Subgroup analyses stratified by NACT regimen were additionally performed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      SOX2 negativity was significantly associated with a favourable pathological response (odds ratio 6.22, 95% confidence interval 1.32\u201329.29,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.021), with a negative predictive value of 82.4%. This association was directionally consistent across NACT subgroups, which did not differ significantly in pathological response or survival. Good responders demonstrated significantly superior event\u2010free survival (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.006). Nodal metastasis was the dominant independent predictor of event\u2010free survival on multivariate Cox analysis (hazard ratio 6.23,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.026).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>SOX2 negativity at baseline is associated with a favourable neoadjuvant chemotherapy response in locally advanced oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. The Hirakawa tumour regression grading system demonstrated strong prognostic discrimination for event\u2010free survival. Prospective, externally validated evaluation of SOX2 within a multi\u2010marker prediction panel is warranted; these findings should be regarded as hypothesis\u2010generating pending such validation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/odi.70496","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T05:09:27Z","timestamp":1788930567000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["<scp>SOX2<\/scp>\n                    As a Biomarker of Pathological Response in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.1111","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3978-0027","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aishwarya","family":"Sharma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncopathology Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre  New Chandigarh 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India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9576-8701","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Heena","family":"Gupta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre  Sangrur India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-9693-8297","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nitika","family":"Gupta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncopathology Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre  New Chandigarh India"},{"name":"Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI)  Mumbai India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-5697-534X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aratrika","family":"Sau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI)  Mumbai India"},{"name":"Department of Biochemistry Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre  New Chandigarh India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9297-5400","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pranab","family":"Dey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncopathology Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre  New Chandigarh India"},{"name":"Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI)  Mumbai India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5363-3130","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Puneet","family":"Somal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncopathology Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre  New Chandigarh India"},{"name":"Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI)  Mumbai 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