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Linxweiler M, Schneider M, Körner S, Knebel M, Brust LA, Braun FL, Wemmert S, Wagner M, Hecht M, Schick B, Kühn JP. Expression of 3q Oncogene SEC62 Predicts Survival in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated with Primary Chemoradiation. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 16:98. [PMID: 38201525 PMCID: PMC10778380 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Primary chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is an established treatment option for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) usually combining intensity modified radiotherapy with concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy. Though the majority of patients can be cured with this regimen, treatment response is highly heterogeneous and can hardly be predicted. SEC62 represents a metastasis stimulating oncogene that is frequently overexpressed in various cancer entities and is associated with poor outcome. Its role in HNSCC patients undergoing CRT has not been investigated so far. A total of 127 HNSCC patients treated with primary CRT were included in this study. The median follow-up was 5.4 years. Pretherapeutic tissue samples of the primary tumors were used for immunohistochemistry targeting SEC62. SEC62 expression, clinical and histopathological parameters, as well as patient outcome, were correlated in univariate and multivariate survival analyses. High SEC62 expression correlated with a significantly shorter overall survival (p = 0.015) and advanced lymph node metastases (p = 0.024). Further significant predictors of poor overall and progression-free survival included response to therapy (RECIST1.1), nodal status, distant metastases, tobacco consumption, recurrence of disease, and UICC stage. In a multivariate Cox hazard proportional regression analysis, only SEC62 expression (p = 0.046) and response to therapy (p < 0.0001) maintained statistical significance as independent predictors of the patients' overall survival. This study identified SEC62 as an independent prognostic biomarker in HNSCC patients treated with primary CRT. The role of SEC62 as a potential therapeutic target and its interaction with radiation-induced molecular alterations in head and neck cancer cells should further be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Linxweiler
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany; (M.S.); (S.K.); (M.K.); (L.A.B.); (S.W.); (B.S.); (J.P.K.)
| | - Matthias Schneider
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany; (M.S.); (S.K.); (M.K.); (L.A.B.); (S.W.); (B.S.); (J.P.K.)
| | - Sandrina Körner
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany; (M.S.); (S.K.); (M.K.); (L.A.B.); (S.W.); (B.S.); (J.P.K.)
| | - Moritz Knebel
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany; (M.S.); (S.K.); (M.K.); (L.A.B.); (S.W.); (B.S.); (J.P.K.)
| | - Lukas Alexander Brust
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany; (M.S.); (S.K.); (M.K.); (L.A.B.); (S.W.); (B.S.); (J.P.K.)
| | - Felix Leon Braun
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany; (M.S.); (S.K.); (M.K.); (L.A.B.); (S.W.); (B.S.); (J.P.K.)
| | - Silke Wemmert
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany; (M.S.); (S.K.); (M.K.); (L.A.B.); (S.W.); (B.S.); (J.P.K.)
| | - Mathias Wagner
- Department of General and Surgical Pathology, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany;
| | - Markus Hecht
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany;
| | - Bernhard Schick
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany; (M.S.); (S.K.); (M.K.); (L.A.B.); (S.W.); (B.S.); (J.P.K.)
| | - Jan Philipp Kühn
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, D-66421 Homburg, Germany; (M.S.); (S.K.); (M.K.); (L.A.B.); (S.W.); (B.S.); (J.P.K.)
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