Overexpression of suppressor of zest 12 is associated with cervical node metastasis and unfavorable prognosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

ObjectiveIncreased expression of suppressor of zest 12 (SUZ12), a core component of the polycomb repressive complex 2, contributes to human tumorigenesis and associates with patient prognosis. In the present study, we sought to investigate the expression of SUZ12 and its clinicopathological significance in primary tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC).MethodsThe expression of SUZ12 protein was determined by immunohistochemistry in clinical samples from a retrospective cohort of 72 patients with primary TSCC who were treated at our institution from Jan. 2007 to Dec. 2013. The potential associations between SUZ12 abundance and multiple clinicopathological parameters were assessed by Chi square test. Moreover, the effect of SUZ12 expression on patients’ survival was further estimated by Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses.ResultsOur immunohistochemical staining data revealed aberrant overexpression of SUZ12 in a large subset of TSCC as compared to normal tongue mucosa. Elevated SUZ12 was found to be significantly associated with cervical nodes metastasis (P = 0.0325) and reduced overall as well as disease-free survival (Log-rank test, P = 0.0225, 0.0179, respectively). Both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis identified the expression status of SUZ12 (low/high) as an important independent prognostic factor for patients’ survival.ConclusionsOur data reveal that aberrant SUZ12 overexpression is associated with cervical nodes metastasis and reduced survival in TSCC. These findings suggest that SUZ12 might play critical roles during tongue tumorigenesis and serve as a novel biomarker with diagnostic and prognostic significance.

Overexpression of WD repeat domain 5 associates with aggressive clinicopathological features and unfavorable prognosis in head neck squamous cell carcinoma

“…The enzymes responsible for aberrant epigenetic modifications function as key mediators driving cancer initiation, growth, and metastasis . Our previous studies have indicated that Bmi1, EZH2 and SUZ12, 3 components of polycomb complex responsible for H3K27me3 and H2AK119ub, are overexpressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma and associated with aggressive clinicopathological parameters, and poor prognosis . Herein, as expected, our data from HNSCC cell lines, clinical samples, and transcriptional profiling database of HNSCC revealed that both WDR5 mRNA and protein were elevated in HNSCC as compared to normal counterparts.…”

Density and location of CD3+ and CD8+ tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes correlate with prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…The CD3 and CD8 were selected as markers for total TIL and cytotoxic TIL, respectively. Immunohistochemical staining of CD3 and CD8 was performed on paraffin sections of 4 μm thickness as described previously . Briefly, paraffin sections were deparaffinized in xylene and rehydrated through graded alcohols.…”

“…Immunohistochemical staining of CD3 and CD8 was performed on paraffin sections of 4 lm thickness as described previously. 22 Briefly, paraffin sections were deparaffinized in xylene and rehydrated through graded alcohols. Then, tissue slides were processed in microwave heating in 10 mmol/L citrate buffer (pH 6.0) for 15 minutes for antigen retrieval, and 3% H 2 O 2 for endogenous peroxidase inactivation.…”

Identification of Key Genes and Pathways in Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Bioinformatics Analysis

“…Although, the 5-year survival rate is reported to be up to 50% with early detection, most patients are diagnosed at a late stage, leading to poorer prognosis [ 3 ] and resulting in complications such as the malfunction of mastication, speech, and deglutition, or death. Despite advances in surgical procedures and chemo-radiotherapy, as well as the advent of targeted therapy, clinical outcomes have remained unchanged for decades [ 4 ]. Therefore, it is of primary importance to identify the etiological factors, molecular mechanisms, and pathways of carcinogenesis to discover novel diagnostic and treatment strategies for TSCC.…”