Project name: Homo sapiens

Description: BackgroundDespite improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, a significant percentage of patients with early stage laryngeal cancer still recur after treatment. Gene expression models prognostic of recurrence risk could suggest which patients with early stage laryngeal cancer would be more appropriate for testing adjuvant strategies.Patients and MethodsExpression profiling using whole genome DASL arrays was performed on 56 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples of patients with early stage laryngeal cancer, treated with surgery or radiation therapy. We split the samples into a training set and a validation set. Using the supervised principal components survival analysis in the first cohort, we identified multiple gene expression profiles that predict the risk of recurrence. These profiles were then validated in the second independent cohort.ResultsGene models comprising different number of genes (40-100) identified a subgroup of patients who were at high risk of recurrence. Of these, the best prognostic model distinguished between a high- and a low-risk group (median DFS: 92 and 123 months, log rank p<0.005, permutation p<0.05), Hazard Ratio (HR): 8.51 (95% CI, 1.01 to 71.77; p<0.05). These models performed similarly in the independent cohort of our study (median DFS: 38 vs 161 months, log rank p=0.018), HR=5.19 (95% CI, 1.14 to 23.57; p<0.05).ConclusionsWe have identified gene expression prognostic models which can refine the estimation of a patient’s risk of recurrence. These findings, if further validated, should aid in patient stratification for testing adjuvant treatment strategies.Overall design: 56 patients with early stage laryngeal cancer were included in this study.

Data type: Transcriptome or Gene expression

Sample scope: Multiisolate

Relevance: Medical

Release date: 2011-11-26

Last updated: 2010-11-30