Value of ezrin, maspin and nm23-H1 protein expressions in predicting outcome of patients with head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma treated with radical radiotherapy

J Clin Pathol. 2007 Feb;60(2):185-9. doi: 10.1136/jcp.2006.036624. Epub 2006 May 12.

Abstract

Background: Prognostic factors in predicting outcomes in patients with head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are limited to the clinical-pathological parameters, including lymph node metastasis, location, grade and stage of the disease.

Aim: To determine whether the expression of these proteins has a value in predicting patient outcome.

Methods: Ezrin, maspin and nm23-H1 immunohistochemistry in tissue samples of 120 patients with HNSCC were evaluated using the microarray technique.

Results: In determining the association among each of the three proteins and the clinical-pathological parameters, low maspin expression was the only one found to be significantly associated with high tumour grade (p = 0.007); all others showed no significant associations. In univariate analysis, patients with tumours expressing high ezrin had a shorter disease-free survival (DFS) of 51% than those with low ezrin expression (DFS 84%; p = 0.08). In multivariate analysis, tumours with the combination of loss of maspin and low histological grade had longer DFS (83%) compared with those with high maspin and high histological grade (DFS 42%; p = 0.08).

Conclusion: Our study is the first to determine the value of ezrin and maspin in HNSCC in a large series of patients with long follow-up. Ezrin and maspin seem to have a potential prognostic value in patients with HNSCC but results should be confirmed with further studies.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / radiotherapy
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / metabolism
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Genes, Tumor Suppressor
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / pathology
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases
  • Neoplasm Proteins / metabolism*
  • Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase / metabolism
  • Prognosis
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Serpins / metabolism
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins
  • NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • SERPIN-B5
  • Serpins
  • ezrin
  • NME1 protein, human
  • Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase