Lactate dehydrogenase 5 expression in squamous cell head and neck cancer relates to prognosis following radical or postoperative radiotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the expression and the prognostic role of lactate dehydrogenase 5 (LDH5, the major LDH isoenzyme involved in anaerobic glycolysis) in patients with squamous cell head and neck cancer (SCHNC).


METHODS
LDH5 was assessed immunohistochemically in whole tissue sections from 141 patients with SCHNC. Of these, 102 were subjected to surgery with (90 patients) or without (12 patients) postoperative radiotherapy (group A), while 39 patients were treated with radical radiotherapy (group B).


RESULTS
Mixed nuclear/cytoplasmic LDH5 expression was detected in 72.5% of group A and 61.5% of group B patients. This was significantly related to T4-stage (p = 0.04) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) expression (p = 0.002). In group A, high LDH5 was linked with poorer distant metastasis-free survival (p = 0.01) and disease-specific overall survival (OS; p = 0.009). In multivariate analysis, LDH5 (p = 0.002) and HIF-1alpha (p = 0.01) were independently linked with distant metastasis. LDH5 was also linked with death events (p = 0.005). In group B, high LDH5 expression was significantly associated with poorer local relapse-free survival (p = 0.009) and OS (p = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, only T stage was a significant predictor of death events (p = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
LDH5 is highly expressed in SCHNC and is linked with local relapse, survival and distant metastasis, suggesting that LDH5 is a marker of radioresistance and a target for therapeutic interventions.
Koukourakis
Michael I
MI
Department of Radiotherapy, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece. targ@her.forthnet.gr
Giatromanolaki
Alexandra
A
Winter
Stuart
S
Leek
Russel
R
Sivridis
Efthimios
E
Harris
Adrian L
AL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000032:analysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000032:analysis; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis*; D000080864:Lactate Dehydrogenase 5; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis
C497442:HIF1A protein, human; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D007527:Isoenzymes; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D000080864:Lactate Dehydrogenase 5