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Nodal metastasis and survival in oral cancer: Association with protein expression of SLPI, not with LCN2, TACSTD2, or THBS2
Author(s) -
Noorlag Rob,
van der Groep Petra,
Leusink Frank K. J.,
van Hooff Sander R.,
Frank Michaël H.,
Willems Stefan M.,
van Es Robert J. J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.23716
Subject(s) - slpi , oncology , lymph node , medicine , cancer , immunohistochemistry , hazard ratio , cancer research , pathology , inflammation , confidence interval
Background Gene expression profiling revealed a strong signature predicting lymph node metastases in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Four of the most predictive genes are secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), lipocalin‐2 (LCN2), thrombospondin‐2 (THBS2), and tumor‐associated calcium signal transducer 2 (TACSTD2). This study correlates their protein expression with lymph node metastases, overall survival (OS), and disease‐specific survival (DSS). Methods Two hundred twelve patients with OSCC were included for protein expression analysis by immunohistochemistry. Results SLPI expression correlates with lymph node metastases in the whole cohort, not in a subgroup of cT1 to 2N0. SLPI expression correlates with OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.61) and DSS (HR = 0.47) in multivariate analysis. LCN2, THBS2, and TACSTD2 show no correlation with lymph node metastases, OS, or DSS. Conclusion Although SLPI expression correlates with lymph node metastases, it has no additional value in determining lymph node metastases in early oral cancer. However, it is an independent predictor for both OS and DSS and therefore a relevant prognostic biomarker in OSCC. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37: 1130–1136, 2015