title: Increased expression of FOXQ1 is a prognostic marker for patients with gastric cancer.
abstract: Altered expression of forkhead box Q1 (FOXQ1) is observed in various types of human cancers. However, the clinical significance of FOXQ1 expression in gastric cancer (GC) remains largely unknown. The present study aims to explore the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of FOXQ1 in GC. FOXQ1 messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression were determined by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot in 20 pairs of fresh frozen GC tissues and corresponding noncancerous tissues. Additionally, FOXQ1 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 158 clinicopathologically characterized GC cases. The correlation of FOXQ1 expression with patients' survival rate was assessed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. Our results showed that the expression levels of FOXQ1 mRNA and protein in GC tissues were both significantly higher than those in non-cancerous tissues. Our results showed that the high expression of FOXQ1 in GC was related to tumor size (P = 0.026), histological grade (P = 0.021), lymph node involvement (P = 0.002), and tumor-node-metastasis stage (P = 0.028). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that a high expression level of FOXQ1 resulted in a significantly poor prognosis of GC patients. Furthermore, Cox multivariates analysis indicated that FOXQ1 expression level was an independent prognostic factor for the overall survival rate of GC patients. In conclusion, overexpression of FOXQ1 is closely related to progression of GC and might be regarded as an independent predictor of poor prognosis for GC.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology & Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle Western Rd., Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Shu-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Xi-Zhang
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Biao-Luo
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai-Feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Li-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Ya-Ni
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yong-Zhan
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xue-Gang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Kai-Chun
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Dai-Ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C484579:FOXQ1 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger