title: Fascin-1, ezrin and paxillin contribute to the malignant progression and are predictors of clinical prognosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fascin-1, ezrin and paxillin, cytoskeleton-associated proteins, have been implicated in several human cancers, but their role in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is unknown. We investigated the association of their expression and clinicopathologic factors and their prognostic value in LSCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analyses were used to examine mRNA and protein levels in 10 fresh LSCC specimens and 10 corresponding adjacent normal margin (ANM) tissues from patients undergoing surgery in 2012. We used immunohistochemistry to retrospectively study 216 paraffin blocks of LSCC samples from patients (193 men) who had undergone surgery between 2000 and 2006 and had not received special treatment before the diagnosis. Univariate analysis of patient survival involved the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate analyses involved the Cox proportional hazards model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relative mRNA and protein levels of fascin-1, ezrin and paxillin were significantly greater in LSCC than ANM tissue (P<0.05). The high expression of fascin-1, ezrin or paxillin was positively correlated with poor tumor differentiation, cervical lymph node metastasis (N+), and advanced clinical stage (III+IV) (P<0.05) but not sex or metastasis. In addition, a high expression of fascin-1 (P = 0.007) or ezrin (P = 0.047) was associated with advanced tumor stage (T3+T4). The expression of fascin-1 was higher in smokers than non-smokers (P = 0.019). A high expression of fascin-1, ezrin or paxillin was associated with poor prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fascin-1, ezrin and paxillin may be prognostic of poor outcome with LSCC after surgery. Our study may lead to establishing new molecular therapeutic targets and/or prognostic biomarkers in LSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, No. 1 Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Chunming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Ganggang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shuxin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huangfu
authors.forename: Binquan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D051419:Paxillin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055815:Young Adult; D000099149:Ezrin
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D051419:Paxillin; D000099149:Ezrin; C020324:fascin