Proteoglycan-based diversification of disease outcome in head and neck cancer @entity1 identifies @entity28557 / @entity28557 and XXXX as unique relapse and overall survival predicting factors.

@entity1 @entity5 @entity189 @entity13222 @entity72075 @entity1613 @entity13221 @entity3 @entity28557 @entity204 @entity213 @entity27362
BACKGROUND: Tumour relapse is recognized to be the prime fatal burden in @entity1 affected by @entity213 ( @entity213 ), but no discrete molecular trait has yet been identified to make reliable early predictions of @entity5 recurrence. Expression of cell surface proteoglycans (PGs) is frequently altered in @entity189 and several of them are gradually emerging as key prognostic factors. METHODS: A PG expression analysis at both mRNA and protein level, was pursued on primary lesions derived from 173 @entity213 @entity1 from whom full clinical history and 2  years post-surgical follow-up was accessible. Gene and protein expression data were correlated with clinical traits and previously proposed @entity5 relapse markers to stratify high-risk @entity1 subgroups. RESULTS: @entity213 were indeed found to exhibit a widely aberrant PG expression pattern characterized by a variable expression of all PGs and a characteristic de novo transcription/translation of @entity72075 , @entity27362 and @entity28557 / @entity28557 respectively in 36%, 72% and 71% on 119 cases. Importantly, expression of @entity28557 / @entity28557 , on neoplastic cells and in the intralesional stroma (Hazard Ratio [HR], 6.76, p   =   0.017) was strongly associated with loco-regional relapse, whereas stromal enrichment of @entity13222 (HR, 7.652, p   =   0.007) was independently tied to lymphnodal infiltration and disease-related @entity204 . Conversely, down-regulated @entity13221 transcript (HR, 0.232, p   =   0.013) uniquely correlated with formation of distant metastases. Altered expression of PGs significantly correlated with the above disease outcomes when either considered alone or in association with well-established predictors of poor prognosis (i.e. T classification, previous occurrence of @entity1613 and lymphnodal @entity3 ). Combined alteration of all three PGs was found to be a reliable predictor of shorter survival. CONCLUSIONS: An unprecedented PG-based prognostic portrait is unveiled that incisively diversifies disease course in @entity213 @entity1 beyond the currently known clinical and molecular biomarkers.
