Heparanase expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma inversely correlates with patient survival

Aim : To determine the expression and prognostic significance of heparanase in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods : Immunohistochemistry was performed on formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded sections of 46 patients with NPC. Clinical and immunohistochemical data were correlated with gender, age, hi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Histopathology 2006-08, Vol.49 (2), p.188-193
Main Authors: Bar-Sela, G, Kaplan-Cohen, V, Ilan, N, Vlodavsky, I, Ben-Izhak, O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Epstein-Barr virus
Female
Glucuronidase - biosynthesis
heparanase
Humans
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - enzymology
Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - pathology
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques
Prognosis
survival
Survival Analysis
Tumors
tumour
Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology
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Summary:Aim : To determine the expression and prognostic significance of heparanase in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods : Immunohistochemistry was performed on formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded sections of 46 patients with NPC. Clinical and immunohistochemical data were correlated with gender, age, histological type, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) status, stage and survival. Results : Heparanase immunoreactivity was found in 35% (16/46) of specimens. The cumulative survival of patients diagnosed as heparanase negative (n = 30) at 10 years was 70%. In contrast, the cumulative survival of patients diagnosed as heparanase positive (n = 16) at 10 years was 25%, differences that are highly statistically significant (P = 0.03). No significant correlations were found between heparanase immunoreactivity and gender, age, EBV status, tumour histology or tumour stage. Conclusion : Heparanase expression is inversely correlated with survival of NPC patients, clearly indicating that heparanase is a reliable prognostic factor for this malignancy, and further supports the notion that heparanase is a valid target for the development of anti‐cancer drugs.
ISSN:0309-0167
1365-2559
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2559.2006.02469.x