Prognostic value of glucose transporter 1 expression in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma
Mineta, H.; Miura, K.; Takebayashi, S.; Misawa, K.; Araki, K.; Misawa, Y.; Ueda, Y.
Anticancer Research 22(6b): 3489-3494
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0250-7005 PMID: 12552944 Document Number: 543600
The increase of glucose transport is a distinguishing marker of tumor cells. We hypothesized that a hypopharyngeal carcinoma, characterized by high frequency of lymph node spread or distant metastasis, was associated with glucose transporter 1 (Glut 1) overexpression. We investigated the incidence of Glut1 expression by immunostaining in 99 patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma, and revealed the correlation with the clinical characteristics. The analysis showed 46 patients (46%) of Glut1 overexpression (> 70% tumor cell stained). Glut1 expression did not correlate with gender, subsite, histological grade, tumor size, lymph node status or stage grouping. The 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate of patients with Glut1 overexpression (> 70%) (35%) was significantly lower than that of patients with low Glut1 expression (< or = 70%) (57%) (p = 0.047). Multivariate analysis showed that advanced tumor stage (stages III and IV) and Glut1 overexpression were predictors of reduced RFS (p = 0.031 and 0.021, respectively). Glut1 expression is an indicator for predicting the prognosis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma.