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High CD133 expression associated with poor survival in squamous cell carcinoma

High CD133 expression was observed in more than half of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma samples and was an independent predictor of poor overall survival, according to recently published study results in JAMA Dermatology.

Researchers conducted immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray to study expression levels of cancer stem cell biomarker CD133 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tissue. Data were analyzed through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, Kaplan-Meier plots, and Cox proportional hazards regression model.

There were 165 paraffin-embedded clinicopathological samples from 165 patients gathered from the archives of hospitals in China from June 1, 1996, to Dec. 31, 2011, with follow-up available.

Cutoff value for high CD133 expression was defined as greater than 65% of tumor cells positively stained, which was based on the receiver operating characteristic curves.

They found that 50.9% of the cutaneous SCC samples and 16.7% of adjacent nonmalignant epithelial tissue samples had high CD133 express (P = .001).

“High CD133 expression was positively correlated with poorly differentiated [cutaneous] SCC (48% for well to moderately differentiated vs. 84.6% for poorly differentiated, P = .01) and with advanced tumor stage (45.5% for stage I-II vs. 65.9% for stage III, P = .02),” the researchers wrote.

Poor prognosis was correlated with high CD133 under univariable survival analysis (mean survival, 63.4 months vs. 95.7 months; P < .001).

Univariable analysis showed that several features of cutaneous SCC, including CD133, were observed to be prognostic factors. In a multivariable analysis, high CD133 expression and tumor stage were independent prognostic factors for poor overall survival (HR = 1.915; 95% CI, 1.195-3.349; HR = 1.812; 95% CI, 1.012-3.246, respectively).

“High CD133 expression was correlated with poor differentiated [cutaneous] SCC with advanced tumor stage,” the researchers concluded. “Moreover, high CDC133 expression was an independent prognostic factor for an unfavorable prognosis in patients with [cutaneous] SCC. These findings suggest that CD133 as examined by [immunohistochemistry] may be used as a biomarker of shortened survival in patients with [cutaneous] SCC and could be a promising molecular therapeutic target for [cutaneous] SCC.” — by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.