Abstract
PURPOSE: EphA2 receptor tyrosine kinase is frequently overexpressed and functionally altered in a variety of human cancers. The study aimed to assess EphA2 expression and to explore its roles in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). METHODS: EphA2 expression in 98 primary SCCHN tissue specimens was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Additionally, 13 paired SCCHN tissues and 6 SCCHN cell lines were evaluated for EphA2 expression by RT-PCR and immunoblotting. RESULTS: EphA2 overexpressed in SCCHN tissues and SCCHN cell lines. More importantly, high EphA2 expression was significantly associated with tumor site, T classification, clinical stage, recurrence, and lymph node metastasis, respectively. Patients with high EphA2 expression had both poorer disease-free survival and overall survival than patients with low EphA2 expression. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that EphA2 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for patients with SCCHN. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that EphA2 may contribute to SCCHN progression and represent a novel prognostic indicator for patients with SCCHN.