Abstract
BackgroundOct4 and Sox2 are two major transcription factors related to the stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. The aim of this study was to examine the association between Oct4 and Sox2 expression levels with both the clinicopathological characteristics and prognoses of patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.MethodTumor tissue samples from 85 patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were collected, and the clinical follow-up data of these patients were recorded, and expression status of Oct4 and Sox2 were examined in these tissue samples by immunohistochemistry (IHC).ResultsOct4 expression was found to be an independent predictive factor for overall survival (p = 0.004) in patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and was independently related to loco-regional control (p = 0.001). Although Sox2 expression status showed no significant association with overall survival (p = 0.166), disease-free survival (p = 0.680) or loco-regional control (p = 0.383), when using a subgroup analysis, the subgroup with both high Oct4 and Sox2 expression had the best prognosis (p = 0.000). Sox2 expression could be a potential prognostic predictor for patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Simultaneous analyses of Oct4 and Sox2 expression could be more effective in evaluating the prognoses of patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.ConclusionOct4 expression is an independent predictive factor for patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, suggesting that Oct4 expression may be a useful indicator for predicting the prognosis of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Highlights
Oct4 and Sox2 are two major transcription factors related to the stem cell self-renewal and differentiation
The results indicate that the expression status of Oct4 (p = 0.004) was an independent predictive factors for prognoses of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients
In this study we demonstrate that Oct4 expression is an independent predictive factor for patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, suggesting that Oct4 expression may be a useful indicator for predicting the prognosis of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Summary
Oct and Sox are two major transcription factors related to the stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, including hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, is one of the most common cancers worldwide and is associated with low survival and high morbidity [1,2]. Cancer stem cells or cancer stem-like cells have been identified in several solid tumor types such as breast cancer and colon cancer [9,10]. This subpopulation is closely associated with carcinogenesis, and with recurrence and metastasis of tumors [7]. There is no sufficient evidence for putative cancer stem cells in hypopharyngeal cancer, and this may be important to elucidate carcinogenesis, to analyze prognosis, and to establish new therapeutic approaches for this cancer type
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