Expression of hypoxic signaling markers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and its clinical significance.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2014;
272:219-28. [PMID:
24627073 DOI:
10.1007/s00405-014-2954-1]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2013] [Accepted: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxia is a consistent finding in fast-growing tumors; it contributes to tumor progression and therapeutic responses. We explored the expression of hypoxia-associated biomarkers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) to assess their relationship with clinical factors in HNSCC. In total, 90 patients with HNSCC were enrolled. Expression of HIF-1α, HSP70, HSP90, VEGF, IGF-1R, and P16 was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Their correlations with clinical factors, including location of primary sites, T stage, N stage, M stage, HPV status, primary treatment success/failure, recurrences, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival, were analyzed. HIF-1α, HPS70, HPS90, VEGF, and IGF-1R were positive in 33 of 89 (37.1 %), 62 of 87 (71.3 %), 83 of 89 (93.3 %), 41 of 87 (47.1 %), and 50 of 56 (89.3 %) cases, respectively. Expression levels of some of these markers were correlated. High HIF-1α or HSP 70 correlated with poor DFS, and expression of HSP70 correlated with LN metastasis. HPV-related carcinomas showed high HSP 70 and IGF-1R expression. Hypoxia-associated proteins were highly expressed and associated with aggressive clinical features in HNSCC. Expression of HIF-1α or HSP70 can be considered poor prognostic indicator in HNSCC. Our results suggest that hypoxic signaling is activated in HNSCC, especially in HPV-related tumors.
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