Notch1 overexpression associates with poor prognosis in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the expression of Notch1 in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) tissues and its relationship to clinicopathologic characteristics as well as their prognostic value in LSCC. METHODS: Samples from 106 patients with LSCC were analyzed for Notch1 expression by immunohistochemical staining. The relationship between Notch1 expression and clinicopathologic parameters was subsequently analyzed. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis of patient survival were examined using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model, respectively. RESULTS: We found that Notch1 had positive expression in 71 of 106 cases of LSCC (66.98%), which was obviously higher than laryngeal normal tissues (P < .01) and significantly correlated with the clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and histological grade (all Ps < .05). Univariate analysis revealed that Notch1 expression tended to show an unfavorable influence on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) (both Ps < .01). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that Notch1 was an independent prognostic factor for patients with LSCC (P < .05). CONCLUSION: These results reveal that Notch1 expression is a potential prognostic factor for malignant progression, metastasis, and survival of LSCC patients. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that high expression of Notch1 was associated with unfavorable OS and DFS in LSCC patients.