Cervical lymph node metastasis is a critical prognostic factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We previously identified 9 metastasis-related genes (REG1A, CXCR4, SPOCK, AIF1, DIAPH2, VNN2, HPGD, NDN, KAL1). We analyzed the association of the expression of these genes with lymph node metastasis and prognosis in 66 patients with OSCC treated in Dokkyo Medical University Hospital, Japan. Additionally, a clustering analysis using a public database was conducted based on the expression of these genes. Low expression of HPGD was significantly associated with a higher incidence of lymph node metastasis. In the multivariate analysis, lymph node metastasis was an independent risk factor for 5-year disease free survival but low expression of HPGD or CXCR4 did not show any significant relation to the survival. Clustering analysis on the public database revealed that cluster S3, characterized by high expression of CXCR4, AIF1, and HPGD, showed a significantly better 5-year overall survival. The expression pattern of previously identified metastasis-related genes was associated with lymph node metastasis in OSCC in a public database. Analysis based on the expression of a single gene had limitations, but a combined expression profile of these genes might serve as a potential prognostic biomarker.
Yagisawa et al. (Sun,) studied this question.