Nuclear Y-box binding protein-1 expression as a prognostic marker and correlation with epidermal growth factor receptor expression in cervical cancer.

Abstract

5085 Background: Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) is a member of the cold shock protein family and functions in transcription and translation. Many reports indicate that YB-1 is highly expressed in tumor cells and is a marker of tumor aggressiveness and clinical prognosis. Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been associated with poor outcomes in cervical cancer (CC). Clinical trials have shown that EGFR inhibitors are effective against CC (JCO 2011). Nuclear YB-1 expression correlates with EGFR expression in various types of cancer. Methods: Nuclear YB-1 expression was immunohistochemically analyzed in tissue specimens obtained from 204 CC patients who underwent surgery. Associations of nuclear YB-1 expression with clinicopathological factors such as survival and EGFR (HER1 and HER2) expression were investigated. Results: Nuclear YB-1 expression was observed in 41 (20%) of 204 cases and correlated with stage, tumor diameter, stromal invasion, and lymph-node metastasis. Nuclear YB-1 expression also correlated with both HER1 expression (p=0.0114) and HER2 expression (p=0.0053). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that nuclear YB-1 expression was significantly associated with poor outcomes in terms of progression-free survival (p=0.0033) and overall survival (p=0.0003). On multivariate analysis, stromal invasion, parametrial invasion, and nuclear YB-1 expression were independent predictors of survival. Conclusions: Nuclear YB-1 expression is a prognostic marker and correlates with EGFR expression in CC.