Introduction:
Podoplanin is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that plays a role in lymphangiogenesis. Several studies suggest a role of podoplanin in head and neck cancer. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the role of podoplanin as a prognostic marker in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Methods:
In a monocentric retrospective analysis data of 42 patients with primary diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (diagnosed between 2004 – 2013) were examined for the relationship between the immunohistochemically analyzed podoplanin expression status (monoclonal antibody D2 – 40) and corresponding clinical and oncological parameters.
Results:
Fifty percent of the patients were female. The average age was 57 years. The majority (68%) had an advanced tumor stage (T3-T4). The 5-year overall survival was 54%.
33% showed a positive expression of podoplanin. In patients with tumors with podoplanin expression, 5-year overall survival was 15%, while in patients with tumors without podoplanin expression 5-year overall survival was 75% (p = 0.017, univariate analysis). In multivariate analysis, podoplanin expression was shown to be the only independent prognostic marker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (p = 0.025).
Conclusions:
This retrospective study shows that podoplanin expression is a potential prognostic marker for nasopharyngeal carcinomas. In the future, clinical use could filter out aggressive courses and allow an intensification of therapy.
