: Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a tumor of epithelial origin with complex etiology, and it is one of the most confusing, commonly misdiagnosed and poorly understood diseases. Currently the standard treatment of NPC is radiotherapy, but therapy failure is quite common, making radioresistance an important is¬sue. Claudin-4 is a major tight junction protein; that regulate the integrity and function of tight junctions. Aberrant expression of claudin-4 has been shown in various carcinomas with diverse prognostic implications. Ki67 as a maker of cell proliferation and nm23-H1as a metastasis marker have been widely used by many studies to indicate their close relationship with the progression and prognosis in many tumors. However, little is known about their prognostic values in undifferentiated NPC.
Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the immunohistochemical staining of claudin-4, nm23-H1 protein and Ki-67 in human undifferentiated NPC, and the relationship between claudin-4, nm23-H1 and ki-67 expressions and both metastasis and prognosis of patients of undifferentiated NPC.
Results: Results were correlated with sex, age, extent of tumor, lymph node status, the presence or absence of distant metastasis and patient survival. Low claudin-4 expression, low nm23-H1 and high ki-67 expression were associated with distant metastasis and poor survival.
Conclusion: Claudin-4 may be a novel biomarker for prediction of distant metastasis and unfavorable prognosis in NPC, especially when combined with nm23-H1 and ki-67.
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