High MCM6 Expression as a Potential Prognostic Marker in Clear-cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Abstract

Minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins are involved in initiation of DNA replication and cell-cycle progression. Loss of MCM function results in genomic instability and causes carcinogenesis. Among MCM genes, the role and prognostic value of MCM6 expression in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has not been elucidated. We assessed the mRNA expression level of MCM6 using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis database and investigated MCM6 protein expression by immunohistochemistry in 238 ccRCC cases. High MCM6 expression was significantly associated with increasing tumor size, pT, stage, tumor necrosis, and metastasis. Furthermore, high MCM6 expression was significantly associated with shorter overall and disease-free survival, and was an independent unfavorable prognostic marker. Regarding patients with metastasis, high MCM6-expressing ccRCC conferred significantly shorter survival than for those with low expression. A high MCM6 expression level may be a promising biomarker to predict tumor progression, metastasis, and survival in patients with ccRCC.