title: Overexpression of Kinesin Family Member 20A Correlates with Disease Progression and Poor Prognosis in Human Nasopharyngeal Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis of 105 Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Numerous studies have shown Kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) may play a critical role in the development and progression of cancer. However, the clinical value of KIF20A in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is unknown. Here, we investigated the expression pattern of KIF20A in NPC and its correlation with clinicopathological features of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to quantify KIF20A expression in NPC cell lines and clinical specimens compared with normal controls. KIF20A protein expression was also examined in archived paraffin embedded tumor samples from 105 patients with pathologically confirmed NPC by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Statistical analyses were applied to assess the associations between KIF20A expression and the clinicopathological features and survival outcomes. Effects on migration and invasion were assessed by wound healing and transwell invasion assays after KIF20A silencing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  KIF20A was significantly overexpressed at both the mRNA and protein levels in NPC cell lines and human tumor tissues. 45/105 (42.9%) of NPC specimens expressed high levels of KIF20A among the KIF20A detectable cases. Statistical analysis revealed that high KIF20A expression was significantly associated with gender (P = 0.046), clinical stage (P<0.001), T category (P = 0.022), N category (P<0.001), distant metastasis (P = 0.001) and vital status (P = 0.001). Moreover, Higher KIF20A expression patients had shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001; log-rank test). In multivariate analysis, KIF20A was an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS in the entire cohort (P = 0.033, P = 0.008). Knock down of KIF20A expression significantly suppressed NPC cell's migration and invasion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  KIF20A is overexpressed and may serve as an independent prognostic biomarker in NPC. Targeting KIF20A reduces migration and invasion of NPC cells.
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.|Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Sai-Lan
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.|Department of Radiotherapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Huan-Xin
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.|Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.|Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wei-Jing
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.|Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chun-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.|Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.|Department of Radiotherapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xian-Qiu
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chu-Yong
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li-Bing
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.|Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016547:Kinesins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C410089:KIF20A protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016547:Kinesins