Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a morbid skin
cancer representing the most common lethal malignancy worldwide, with metastatic
spread indicated in 5% of cases. The etiological factors underpinning
metastasis of this cancer type and treatment options remain unclear due to the lack of
knowledge regarding its biology, inclusive of its genomic
landscape. Such knowledge may permit the stratification of patients into high
vs low risk categories upon assessment of the primary tumour. Additionally,
identification of critical pathways may highlight therapeutic targets.
We report the establishment of a UV-induced, lymph-node involved cSCC cell line and the major characteristic findings thus far. Notably, flow cytometric and quantitative PCR data from this cell line found high levels of expression of the Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (uPAR) and it's ligand uPA. The plasminogen activation system is well known to be involved in promoting metastasis in other tumours and presents a potential target for cSCC therapeutics. The establishment of this cell model is instrumental in furthering cSCC understanding as no commercial cell lines of this cancer type are currently available. Strong clinical collaborations present within our research group will inevitably help translate these findings into clinical practice.