The Expressions Of Foxo3A And Hif-1A In Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma And Their Clinical Significance

Objective:Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common tumor of the head-neck in our country. Because the deep location of tumor growth and vague symptoms at early stages,60%of patients with the initial diagnosed NPC present with lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis. Therefore, better understanding of the mechanism of NPC tumorigenicity and looking for new diagnostic and prognostic markers have important significance. The Forkhead Box O3a transcription factor (FOXO3a) and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (FIF-1α) have been reported to play important roles in the development and prognosis of human cancers. However, their exact roles are not clear. Therefore, we investigated the expression status and clinical significance of FOXO3a and HIF-1α expression in NPC, so as to provide a new strategy for NPC treatment.Methods:Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blot were used to examine the expressions of FOXO3a and FHF-1α in48cases of NPC and15cases of normal nasopharyngeal tissues, and their relationship with the clinicopathological features of NPC were analyzed. Results:The positive expression rate of FOXO3a protein in NPC(50.0%) was much lower than that in normal nasopharyngeal tissues(80.0%), and the difference was significant(P=0.006). The positive expression rate of HIF-1α protein in NPC(75.0%) was much higher than that in normal nasopharyngeal tissues(33.3%), and the difference was significant(P=0.011). The expression of FOXO3a protein was significantly correlated with clinical stage, T stage, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis (p<0.05), and the expression of HIF-1α was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in FOXO3a and FIF-1α mRNA expression between NPC and normal nasopharyngeal tissues. The Spearman analysis indicated that FOXO3a expression was inversely correlated with HIF-1α expression.(rs=-0.667, P<0.001).Conclusion:The abnormal expressions of FOXO3a and HIF-1α may be associated with the carcinogenesis and development of NPC. FOXO3a and HIF-1α may be useful markers for evaluating the biological characteristics of NPC.