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. 2017 Oct 23;8(18):3897-3902.
doi: 10.7150/jca.20324. eCollection 2017.

Overexpression of α-sma-positive fibroblasts (CAFs) in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Predicts Poor Prognosis

Jiewei Chen  1   2 , Pengfei Yang  3 , Yongbo Xiao  1 , Yijun Zhang  1 , Jun Liu  1 , Dan Xie  1   2 , Muyan Cai  1   2 , Xinke Zhang  1   2
Affiliations

Overexpression of α-sma-positive fibroblasts (CAFs) in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Predicts Poor Prognosis

Jiewei Chen et al. J Cancer. .

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the differential expression of α-sma-positive fibroblasts (CAFs) in nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPCs), nasopharyngitis, metastatic tissues of NPCs and its prognostic value in NPCs. Methods: The expression of α-sma-labeled CAFs in 85 NPCs, 32 nasopharyngitis and 12 metastatic tissues of NPCs was detected by immunohistochemical method. The relationship between CAFs and clinicopathological parameters of NPCs was analyzed. Results: The high density of CAFs in the NPCs, nasopharyngitis and metastatic tissues of NPCs group were 41.2% (35/85), 6.2% (2/32) and 83.3% (10/12), and a significant difference was showed among these three groups (P<0.05). Chi-square test showed that there was no significant correlation between the density of CAFs and gender, age, N stage, treatment (P>0.05), but closely correlated with T stage and relapse (P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the mean overall survival of high-density and low-density CAFs was 86.8 months and 127.0 months, respectively. Correspondingly, the 5-year survival rates were 57.1% (20/35) and 90.0% (45/50), and there were inversely statistical differences between two groups (P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that the density of CAFs could be used as an independent prognostic factor for the survival of NPC patients (P<0.05). Conclusions: The density of CAFs could be closely related to the metastasis of NPCs, and also is an efficient prediction factor of poor survival in patients with NPCs.

Keywords: CAFs; Nasopharyngeal Carcinomas; Prognosis; α-sma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The expression of α-sma in nasopharyngeal tissues (A, E) is the expression of α-sma in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues (CAFs high density), (B, F) (CAFs low density); (C, G) is the expression in nasopharyngeal tissues (CAFs low density); (D, H) is the expression in the metastatic tissues of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (CAFs high density)
Figure 2
Figure 2
CAFs Kaplan-Meier survival analysis curves (A) overall survival (B) progression-free survival.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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