title: The survival predictive significance of HOXC6 and HOXC8 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), a common disease in China, is mainly treated surgically. We established a prospective database of patients with esophageal cancer between January 2000 and December 2010, including 486 subjects with ESCC who underwent surgical treatment. In this study, we explored the prognostic significance of the expressions of HOXC6 and HOXC8, responsible for embryonic development, by studying the specimens collected from clinical subjects during strict follow-up periods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of HOXC6 and HOXC8 in 274 ESCC subjects including 138 ESCC subjects treated with surgery alone and 136 ESCC subjects treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Survival analysis was performed from the day of surgery to August 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 5-y survival rate of the 274 ESCC subjects was 44.2%, with a median survival time of 44.12 mo. For the 274 ESCC subjects involved in the investigation of HOXC6 and HOXC8 expressions, the median survival time of subjects with high-level expressions of HOXC6 and HOXC8 was shorter than that for subjects with low-level expressions (P = 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). Similar results were obtained from the analysis of the prognostic value of HOXC6 and HOXC8 in the group treated with surgery alone and the group treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that HOXC6 and HOXC8 expressions were independent prognostic factors in patients with ESCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HOXC6 and HOXC8 genes can be used as prognostic markers in patients with ESCC, but prospective studies are still needed to confirm.
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery I, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Ya-Bing
authors: YB
authors: Du
authors: Department of Pathology, Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Dong
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery I, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Lu-Yan
authors: LY
authors: Shen
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery I, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Wan-Pu
authors: WP
authors: Yan
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery I, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Liang
authors: L
authors: Dai
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery I, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Hong-Chao
authors: HC
authors: Xiong
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery I, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Zhen
authors: Z
authors: Liang
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery I, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Xiao-Zheng
authors: XZ
authors: Kang
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery I, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Qin
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery I, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing Cancer Hospital, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: chenkeneng@bjmu.edu.cn.
authors: Ke-Neng
authors: KN
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C094289:HOXC6 protein, human; C489815:HOXC8 protein, human; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins
keywords: ESCC; HOXC6; HOXC8; IHC