title: [Correlation of EphA2 protein expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the expression of EphA2 protein in tissue specimens and cell lines of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), and to further study the correlation of EphA2 protein expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in LSCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Western blot was applied to assess the EphA2 protein expression in LSCC cell line Hep-2 cells and the head and neck immortalized epithelial cell line NP-69 cells. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on paraffin sections of 88 cases of LSCC specimens and 16 cases of adjcent normal tissue samples to investigate the EphA2 protein expression, and to futher elucidate its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the NP-69 cells, EphA2 expression in LSCC cell line Hep-2 cells was upregulated. The positive rates of EphA2 expression in LSCC and adjcent normal tissues samples were 80.7% and 43.8%, respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.001). EphA2 overexpresion was closely correlated with clinical stage (I + II/III + IV, P = 0.005), metastasis (P = 0.025) and recurrence (P = 0.021) in LSCC. Furthermore, patients with EphA2 overexpression had poorer tumor-free survival and 5-year overall survival compared with that in patients with low EphA2 expression (33.3% vs. 63.2%, P = 0.003; 46.7% vs. 81.6%, P = 0.002). EphA2 expression combined with clinical stage provided a better predictive value in prognosis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that EphA2 expression is an independent prognostic factor for patients with LSCC (P = 0.019).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study demonstrate that EphA2 protein expression is significantly increased in LSCC tissues and cell lines, and EphA2 protein overexpression is associated with tumor recurrence, metastasis and poorer prognosis in LSCC patients. These results suggest that EphA2 may play a critical role in the initiation and progression of LSCC, implicating EphA2 as a valuable marker for the prediction of recurrence, metastasis and prognosis in LSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yuan-zheng
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Dong-hai
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiao-juan
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ping-qing
authors.initials: PQ
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Geng-ming
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Yao-zhang
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Chang-yun
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jian-yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Yong-quan
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D036104:Receptor, EphA2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D036104:Receptor, EphA2