CD24: A Novel Cancer Biomarker in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the role of CD24 in tumor invasion and the clinical significance of its expression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Procedures: CD24 expression was measured in Hep-2 cell lines and tumor and peritumoral tissues by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. The role of CD24 in LSCC was investigated by CD24 depletion using small interfering RNA. Tumor tissue microarrays with samples from 102 LSCC patients were used to detect expression of CD24 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Prognostic significance was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and log-rank tests. Results: CD24 was overexpressed in the LSCC cell line and in tumor tissues. Depletion of CD24 caused a notable decrease in cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness in vitro. High CD24 expression was significantly associated with T clinic stage, lymph node metastasis and tumor size (p < 0.05). Patients suffering from LSCC recurrence had higher levels of CD24 protein than those without recurrence (p < 0.0001). The proportion of patients with high PCNA expression was significantly greater among patients with CD24+ LSCC than those with CD24– LSCC (p = 0.000). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that CD24 was a significant predictor for overall survival. Conclusions: Overexpression of CD24 in LSCC is associated with invasiveness, metastatic potential and high tumor proliferation status. CD24 may be a promising strategy for the future treatment of LSCC metastasis and recurrence.