Expression and Prognostic Significance of Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-3 Alpha and Cystatin A in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Minzhong Tang,Liping Ma,Aiying Lu,Cheng Li,Jianquan Gao,Jun Li,Weiming Zhong,Ningjiang Ou,Yuming Zheng,Yonglin Cai

doi:10.1155/2015/617143

Minzhong Tang, Liping Ma + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/617143

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Abstract

This study aims to investigate the expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha (MIP-3α) and cystatin A in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and their association with clinical characteristics and prognosis. Primary tumor specimens from 114 NPC patients and associated clinical follow-up data were collected, and the expression of MIP-3α and cystatin A proteins was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Expression of MIP-3α was significantly associated with TNM stage in patients with NPC (P < 0.05). NPC patients with positive expression of MIP-3α exhibited shorter median overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), compared with patients with negative expression (OS: 50.5 months versus 59.0 months, P = 0.013; DMFS: 50.1 months versus 60.2 months, P = 0.003). NPC patients with positive expression of cystatin A exhibited shorter median OS, local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and DMFS, compared with patients with negative expression (OS: 51.1 months versus 60.0 months, P = 0.004; LRFS: 54.5 months versus 59.5 months, P = 0.036; DMFS: 52.3 months versus 58.8 months, P = 0.036). Both MIP-3α and cystatin A overexpressions in NPC tumor tissues were strong independent factors of poor prognosis in NPC patients. MIP-3α and cystatin A expressions may be valuable prognostic markers in NPC patients.

Highlights

Recent studies demonstrated that chemokines may play important roles in tumor proliferation and metastasis
Impairment of the basement membrane is considered an important marker of cancer invasion, and degradation of the extracellular matrix by proteolytic enzymes is a critical step in cancer cell invasion and metastasis
We evaluated the expression of MIP-3α and cystatin A in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues and correlated their expression with clinical characteristics and prognosis

Summary

Introduction

Recent studies demonstrated that chemokines may play important roles in tumor proliferation and metastasis. Previous reports indicate that MIP-3α expression is increased at certain inflammatory sites and tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma [3] and pancreatic carcinoma [4]. MIP-3α interacts with its receptor, CCR6, to promote the growth, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. Impairment of the basement membrane is considered an important marker of cancer invasion, and degradation of the extracellular matrix by proteolytic enzymes is a critical step in cancer cell invasion and metastasis. The proteolytic enzymes of the extracellular matrix, lysosomal cysteine proteases such as cathepsins B and L, as well as their endogenous inhibitors, cystatins, for example, cystatin A ( known as stefin A), cystatin B, and cystatin C, may play important roles in cancer progression and metastasis [5]

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