Detection of differentially expressed genes and association with clinicopathological features in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck cancer is a significant health problem worldwide. Early detection and prediction of prognosis will improve patient survival and quality of life. The aim of this study was to identify genes differentially expressed between laryngeal cancer and the corresponding normal tissues as potential biomarkers. A total of 36 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were recruited. Four of these cases were randomly selected for cDNA microarray analysis of the entire genome. Using semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analysis, the differential expression of genes and their protein products, respectively, between laryngeal cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissues was verified in the remaining 32 cases. The expression levels of these genes and proteins were investigated for associations with clinicopathological parameters taken from patient data. The cDNA microarray analysis identified 349 differentially expressed genes between tumor and normal tissues, 112 of which were upregulated and 237 were downregulated in tumors. Seven genes and their protein products were then selected for validation using RT-PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. The data demonstrated that the expression of SENP1, CD109, CKS2, LAMA3, ITGAV and ITGB8 was increased, while LAMA2 was downregulated in laryngeal cancer compared with the corresponding normal tissues. Associations between the expression of these genes and clinicopathological data from the patients were also established, including age, tumor classification, stage, differentiation and lymph node metastasis. Our current study provides the first evidence that these seven genes may be differentially expressed in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and also associated with clinicopathological data. Future study is required to further confirm whether detection of their expression can be used as biomarkers for prediction of patient survival or potential treatment targets.