Tumor microenvironment in the invasive and premalignant portions of early cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is known for its stepwise progression from healthy skin to premalignant actinic keratosis (AK), followed by malignant transformation into SCC. The main aim is to capture and compare gene expression patterns as AK progresses to SCC. Overall design: From 17 patients, 34 ROIs (invasive and premalignant portions per patient) were selected, resulting in a total of 102 AOIs (tumor cell, immune cell, and fibroblast segments per ROI).