Histological subtype remains a prognostic factor for survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

OBJECTIVES: There is currently no consensus on the prognostic significance of the histological subtype of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of histological subtype on survival in NPC patients based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. METHODS: Patients with NPC were identified within the SEER database (2004-2015). The effects of histological subtype on cause-specific survival (CSS) in NPC patients were evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Subgroup analysis according to histological subtype in NPC patients was carried out by 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: A total of 4085 NPC patients were selected from the SEER database, including 1929 with keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (KSCC), 2203 with nonkeratinizing carcinoma (NKC), and 53 with basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC). The 3-year and 5-year CSS rates were 61.76% and 55.07% for KSCC patients, 79.57% and 72.09% for NKC patients, and 77.55% and 74.03% for BSCC patients, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified sex, age, marital status, race, T stage, N stage, M stage, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and histological subtype as significant prognostic factors for CSS in NPC patients. KSCC was found to be associated with worse CSS than NKC on Kaplan-Meier analysis and subgroup analysis after 1:1 PSM. CONCLUSIONS: Histological subtype determines the long-term survival outcomes of patients with NPC. Moreover, the NKC subtype has the best prognosis, while the KSCC subtype has the worst prognosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 130:E83-E88, 2020.

Downregulation of microRNA-21 inhibited radiation-resistance of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) was previously reported being dysregulated in many kinds of cancer including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-21 in ESCC, especially in its effects on radiation-sensitivity of ESCC. METHODS: Expression of miR-21 was detected in 63 pairs ESCC tumor and adjacent non-tumoral tissues using qRT-PCR, correlation between miR-21 and clinicopathological feature of ESCC was analyzed. The role of miR-21 in the proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of ESCC cells during irradiation were studied. RESULTS: MicroRNA-21 expression was significantly increased in ESCC tumor tissues. Expression of miR-21 was positively associated with advanced clinical stage. Under irradiation, overexpression of miR-21 increased cell proliferation and cells in S phase, and inhibited cell apoptosis of ESCC cells. In contrast, knockdown of miR-21 had an opposite effect. CONCLUSIONS: Downregulation of miR-21 inhibited the radiation-resistance of ESCC, whereas overexpression of miR-21 increased the radiation-resistance. MiR-21 is a potential novel target for developing specific treatment interventions in ESCC in future.

p53, MDM2, eIF4E and EGFR expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and their correlation with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis: A retrospective study.

In the present study, the expression of p53, mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) were investigated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and the correlation between their expression and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis was analyzed. The medical records of 96 NPC patients who had undergone biopsy prior to radical radiotherapy and chemotherapy between 2005 and 2009 were reviewed, retrospectively. All patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were followed-up for three years. Streptavidin-peroxidase immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expression of p53, MDM2, eIF4E and EGFR in NPC biopsy specimens, and the association between their expression and clinical parameters and survival was analyzed. The p53, MDM2, eIF4E and EGFR expression rates were 65.6% (63/96), 79.16% (76/96), 77.08% (74/96) and 89.5% (86/96), respectively. p53 (χ2,20.322; P=0.001) and EGFR (χ2,8.337; P=0.005) expression were found to correlate with T stage, whereas MDM2 (χ2,16.361; P=0.001) expression was found to correlate with lymph node metastasis. p53 expression was found to inversely correlate with MDM2 expression (r, -3.24; P<0.05). Three-year survival rates were lower in p53-positive (76.2%) patients when compared with p53-negative (93.9%) patients. In addition, three-year survival rates were lower in EGFR-positive (75.8%) patients than in EGFR-negative patients (91.2%). The Cox proportional-hazards regression model revealed that p53 (ß,-0.455; χ2,5.491; P=0.019) and EGFR (ß, 3.93; χ2, 11.95; P=0.001) expression were independent prognostic factors. Thus, it was hypothesized that p53 and EGFR expression present potential unfavorable prognostic markers for patients with NPC.