[Expression of CD117, MITF and NAT10 and their prognostic values in sinonasal mucosal melanoma].

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the expression of CD117, MITF, NAT10 and clinical parameters in sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM). Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor specimens of 80 cases of SNMM at the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University, from December 1999 to November 2013 were analyzed for CD117, MITF and NAT10 expression by immunohistochemistry. Results: There were 40 men and 40 women. The median age was 61 years, age 26 to 85 years. There was no correlation of the expression of CD117, MITF and NAT10 with the patients' age, gender, tumor site, stage, therapy method and brain metastases (P>0.05). The expression of MITF and NAT10 was associated with lymph node metastasis and the tumors were more likely to metastasize when MITF and NAT10 were positive. However, expression of CD117 had no correlation with lymph node metastasis. Log-rank test revealed that the expression of CD117 was correlated with both three-year and five survival rate (P=0.012, P=0.023; respectively) and patients with tumor having low expression of CD117 had the worse outcome. COX test revealed that low CD117 expression, advanced age and lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors (P<0.05). No significant association was found between the expression of CD117, MITF and NAT10 with disease free survival (P>0.05). Conclusions: Patients with SNMM expressing low level of CD117 have decreased survival rate. Tumors with high level of MITF and NAT10 expression are more likely to metastasize. The expression level of CD117 can be used as an important indicator for the patient survival, and the expression of MITF and NAT10 can be used as a predictor of tumor metastasis.

Clinical value of Naa10p and CEA levels in saliva and serum for diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: N-α-acetyltransferase 10 protein (Naa10p) is a potential prognostic biomarker that modulates the phenotypes of several cancer types. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is currently the most well-known biomarker for the detection of epithelial malignancies. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical value of Naa10p, CEA, and their combined detection for diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: This study included 202 individuals: 112 patients with OSCC, 30 patients with oral premalignant lesions (OPMLs), and 60 cancer-free and without OPML patients as control. Naa10p and CEA were determined in serum and saliva samples utilizing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: Salivary and serum levels of Naa10p and CEA in OSCC patients were significantly higher than those detected in OPML and the control groups, although patients with OPMLs also showed increased salivary and serum Naa10p and CEA levels as compared to the control group. Salivary Naa10p level in OSCC patients is correlated with the degree of differentiation and lymph node metastasis, and serum Naa10p level is specifically correlated with patient age. Additionally, salivary CEA level is correlated with the clinical stage and lymph node metastasis, whereas serum CEA level is correlated with lymph node metastasis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of combined detection were greater than any single detection. CONCLUSIONS: Combined use of salivary Naa10p and CEA as tumor markers for OSCC was more sensitive than serum Naa10p and CEA. These results indicated that combined detection of salivary Naa10p and CEA improved diagnostic performance and early detection rate for OSCC.

High expression of N-acetyltransferase 10: a novel independent prognostic marker of worse outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) is a nucleolar protein involved in histone acetylation, telomerase activity regulation, DNA damage response and cytokinesis. The expression of NAT10 was found to be enhanced in several types of tumors, suggesting its correlation with tumor development. However, the specific role of NAT10 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of NAT10 in HCC patients and to assess the relationship of NAT10 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and tumor prognosis. We selected 17 pairs of HCC samples and adjacent non-neoplastic tissue for mRNA expression analysis. We also performed immunohistochemistry in 186 HCC samples to evaluate the NAT10 protein expression. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to study the diagnostic and prognostic value of NAT10. The results showed that NAT10 expression was mainly localized in the nuclei/nucleoli and was significantly higher in HCC tissues than peritumoral tissues (P < 0.01). High NAT10 expression was positively correlated with histological differentiation (P < 0.01) and TNM classification (P < 0.01). Cox regression univariate and multivariable analysis revealed that expression of NAT10 in HCC was an independent prognostic factor for patient survival time. Our data suggested that NAT10 might be a promising prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target in HCC.