Eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 delta, N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen and cancer-associated fibroblasts are prognostic markers of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients

Abstract Objectives Identifying markers that influence oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) prognosis is a fundamental strategy to improve the overall survival of patients. Markers such as eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 delta (EEF1D), fascin, N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen (PINP) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been noticed in OSCCs, whose levels are closely related to the prognosis of tumors. Our aim was to confirm the role of those markers in OSCC prognosis. Study Design Immunohistochemistry was performed in 90 OSCC specimens. The associations between clinicopathologic features and expression of markers were assessed by chi-square test. The Kaplan-Meier curves, univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used for survival analysis. Markers were analyzed individually and in combination. Results High expression of EEF1D (p=0.017) and PINP (p=0.02) and abundant density of CAFs in tumor stroma (p=0.005) predicted significantly poor survival in OSCC patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that all 3 parameters are individually independent prognostic factors of OSCC patients, and their combination improved the discrimination of patients at high-risk for poor survival. Conclusions Our results suggested that the expression of EEF1D and PINP and the density of CAFs might influence the survival of patients with OSCC.