Conclusions
The expression of APE1, DCN, and SOD3 is a potential prognostic signature that identifies patients with worsened survival.
Methods
Differential protein expression between benign, carcinoma in situ (CIS), and invasive HNSCC tissue specimens from 77 patients was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Protein expression was analyzed with multivariate, pair-wise, and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses to identify potential prognostic biomarkers. Utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas's transcriptome database, pair-wise and survival analysis was performed to identify potential prognostic biomarkers.
Results
APE1, NRF2, PPARGC1A, SOD3, and DCN expression in HNSCC in relation to, lymph node invasion, and patient survival were examined. Elevated APE1 protein expression in CIS corresponded with reduced survival (p = 0.0243). Increased APE1 gene expression in stage T4a HNSCC was associated with reduced patient survival (p < 0.015). Increased PPARGC1A in invasive tumor correlated with reduced survival (p = 0.0281). Patients with lymph node invasion at diagnosis had significantly increased APE1 protein in the primary sites (p < 0.05). Patients with poorly differentiated invasive tumors had reduced PPARGC1A in CIS proximal to the invasive tumor and had elevated DCN and SOD3 in proximal benign tissue (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The expression of APE1, DCN, and SOD3 is a potential prognostic signature that identifies patients with worsened survival.