Overexpression of neuromedin U is correlated with regional metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Regional metastasis is an important prognostic factor for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Neuromedin U (Nmu) is a secreted neuropeptide, named due to its potent uterine contraction‑inducing activity. The aim of the present study was to analyze the significance of Nmu in the regional metastasis of HNSCC. The characteristics of 240 patients recruited from the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University (Wuhan, China) were summarized retrospectively. The positive rate of neck dissection was analyzed according to the material. The expression levels of Nmu in human tumor samples were analyzed using immunohistochemistry. Subsequently, the expression of Nmu was investigated using a tissue microassay to analyze the association between Nmu protein expression and Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) status. The positive rate of neck dissection was 51.4% in the study sample. The expression levels of Nmu in primary tumors with regional metastasis were higher, compared with those without metastasis. There was increased protein expression of Nmu in the advanced tumor tissues. The data obtained in the present study demonstrated that the expression of Nmu was correlated with regional metastasis and TNM status. Overexpression of Nmu may be involved in the process of regional metastasis of HNSCC, and may serve as a novel and valuable biomarker for predicting regional metastasis in patients with HNSCC.
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Lei
L
Wang
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Chen
C
Chen
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Fen
F
Li
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Qing-Quan
QQ
Hua
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Shiming
S
Chen
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Bokui
B
Xiao
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Mengyuan
M
Dai
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Man
M
Li
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Anyuan
A
Zheng
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Di
D
Yu
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Zhang Wei
ZW
Hu
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
Zezhang
Z
Tao
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009479:Neuropeptides; C056900:neuromedin U