Evaluation of dyskerin expression and the Cajal body protein WRAP53β as potential prognostic markers for patients with primary vaginal carcinoma

Primary vaginal cancer (PVC) is a rare gynaecological malignancy, which, at present, lacks appropriate biomarkers for prognosis. The proteins dyskerin and WD repeat containing antisense to TP53 (WRAP53β), both of which exert their functions in the telomerase holoenzyme complex, have been shown to be upregulated in different cancer types. These proteins have also been proposed as prognostic markers in some types of cancer. The aim of the present study was to examine the expression patterns of dyskerin and WRAP53β in patients with PVC. Moreover, as part of a search for effective biomarkers to evaluate prognosis in PVC, the expression of these two proteins and their potential association with clinical variables and survival were also evaluated. The expression of dyskerin and WRAP53β was assessed in PVC tumour samples from 68 patients using immunohistochemistry. The majority of tumour samples showed low and moderate expression levels of dyskerin. Upregulation of dyskerin in tumour samples was significantly associated with a shorter survival time and a poorer cancer-specific survival rate. WRAP53β was also expressed in most of the cells but was not significantly associated with clinical variables or survival. This study demonstrates that upregulation of dyskerin is significantly associated with poor prognosis. Thus, dyskerin may serve as a promising prognostic marker and a potential putative therapeutic target in PVC.

Radiotherapy Plus Chemotherapy Is Associated With Improved Survival Compared to Radiotherapy Alone in Patients With Primary Vaginal Carcinoma: A Retrospective SEER Study

Background

The efficacy of radiotherapy plus chemotherapy (RTCT) versus radiotherapy alone (RT) in the treatment of primary vaginal carcinoma has been controversial. We aimed to evaluate the up-to-date efficacy of RTCT on primary vaginal carcinoma in a real-world cohort.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis in patients with primary vaginal carcinoma retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database from 2004 to 2016. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted and compared by the log-rank test. Inverse probability weighting (IPW)-adjusted multivariate Cox proportional hazards and Fine-Gray competing-risk model was applied.

Results

Of the 1,813 qualified patients with primary vaginal carcinoma from 2004 to 2016, 1,137 underwent RTCT and 676 underwent RT. The median survival time was 34 months for the RT group and 63 months for the RTCT group. RTCT was significantly associated with improved overall survival (unadjusted HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.62-0.82, p < 0.001; adjusted HR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.63-0.84, p < 0.001) and cancer-specific survival (unadjusted sHR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.95, p = 0.012; adjusted sHR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.96, p = 0.016). Age, histological type, tumor size, surgery, and FIGO stage were all independent prognostic factors for survival (p < 0.05 for all). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that RTCT was significantly associated with better survival in most subgroups, except for those with adenocarcinoma, tumor size <2 cm, or FIGO stage I. Moreover, sensitivity analysis did not alter the beneficial effects of RTCT.

Conclusion

RTCT is significantly correlated with prolonged survival in patients with primary vaginal carcinoma. RTCT should be applied to most patients with primary vaginal carcinoma instead of RT alone, except for those with adenocarcinoma, tumor size <2 cm, or FIGO stage I.