High Expression of Prospero-Related Homeobox-1 (PROX1) Is Associated With Poor Prognosis in Patients With Salivary Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

Purpose Prospero-related homeobox-1 (PROX1) plays an important role in the invasion and metastasis of many human cancers. However, the expression pattern of PROX1 in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate PROX1 expression and its prognostic value in SACC. Materials and Methods PROX1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in SACC tissue specimens. Correlations between PROX1 expression and clinicopathologic features were investigated. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the correlation between PROX1 expression and survival. Independent prognostic factors associated with overall survival (OS) were analyzed using Cox regression analysis. Results The IHC data showed that the PROX1 positivity rate in SACC tissue specimens was significantly higher than that in normal salivary gland tissues (71.1 vs 13.3%; P P P  = .0005). Multivariate analysis showed that PROX1 expression, local regional recurrence, and distant metastasis were independent prognostic factors for OS. Conclusions These findings showed that PROX1 expression was statistically higher in SACC specimens. Positive expression of PROX1 might serve as a potential predictor of prognosis in SACC.