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Podoplanin Expression in Cancer-associated Fibroblasts Predicts Poor Prognosis in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

Authors :
Kanae Nosaka
Yohei Yurugi
Yuki Matsuoka
Yasuaki Kubouchi
Hiroshige Nakamura
Makoto Wakahara
Yoshihisa Umekita
Tomohiro Haruki
Tatsushi Shiomi
Ken Miwa
Kunio Araki
Yuji Taniguchi
Tomohiko Sakabe
Source :
Anticancer Research. 37:207-214
Publication Year :
2017
Publisher :
Anticancer Research USA Inc., 2017.

Abstract

Background/Aim: Podoplanin is a candidate cancer stem cell marker in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Several studies have reported the prognostic value of podoplanin expression in tumor cells in lung SCC but few have focused on its expression in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic significance of podoplanin expression, with special reference to the expression pattern in both tumor cells and CAFs. Patients and Methods: Immunohistochemical analyses using anti-podoplanin antibody were performed on 126 resected specimens of lung SCC. When more than 10% of tumor cells or CAFs showed immunoreactivity with podoplanin levels as strong as those of the positive controls, the specimens were classified as a podoplanin-positive. Results: Podoplanin-positive status in tumor cells (n=54) was correlated with a lower incidence of lymphatic invasion (p=0.031) but there were no significant differences in disease-free survival (DFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) by the log-rank test. Podoplanin-positive status in CAFs (n=41) was correlated with more advanced stage (p=0.008), higher frequency of pleural invasion (p=0.002) and both shorter DFS (p=0.006) and DSS (p=0.006). In Cox's multivariate analysis, podoplanin-positive status in CAFs was an independent negative prognostic factor for DFS (p=0.027) and DSS (p=0.027). Conclusion: Podoplanin expression in CAFs might be an independent unfavorable prognostic indicator in patients with lung SCC, irrespective of the expression status of tumor cells.

Details

ISSN :
17917530 and 02507005
Volume :
37
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Anticancer Research
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....e01ac85783d23f1b6a2792843e580497
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.11308