title: Expression and clinical significance of Wnt-1 and beta-catenin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As signaling molecule and key component of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway respectively, Wnt-1 and beta-catenin are abnormally expressed in several malignancies and correlate with poor prognosis. This study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of Wnt-1 and beta-catenin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression of Wnt-1 and beta-catenin in 111 specimens of NPC was detected by SP immunohistochemistry. Their correlations to relapse-free survival (RFS), metastasis-free survival (MFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The high expression of beta-catenin was observed in 64 (57.7%) of the 111 cases. Its high expression rate was significantly higher in advanced NPC than in early stage NPC (63.1% vs. 40.7%, p = 0.041). The RFS, MFS and PFS were lower in high beta-catenin expression group than in low beta-catenin expression group (p < 0.05). Cox regression analysis demonstrated that beta-catenin was related to poor prognosis of NPC patients. The high expression of Wnt-1 was observed in 68 (61.3%) of the 111 cases, but its expression had no effect on RFS, MFS and PFS (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway may be activated abnormally in some NPC patients. beta-catenin may be a prognostic factor of NPC.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.
authors.forename: Fei-Li
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Tai-Ze
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Su-Mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Hui-Lan
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Jing-Hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Ning-Wei
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ming-Huang
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051155:Wnt1 Protein / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D051155:Wnt1 Protein; D051176:beta Catenin