Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026

Isolation and Characterization of a Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subpopulation Having Stem Cell Characteristics
Published on: May 11, 2016
SIRT1 expression is associated with good prognosis for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients
Akira Noguchi1, Xiaohan Li, Akira Kubota
1Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
Objectives:
SIRT1, class III histone deacetylase, has been described to be up-regulated in various malignancies. However, the opposite results have been reported in other malignancies. Therefore, we investigated SIRT1 expression to clarify its biological behavior and identify its usefulness as a biomarker for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
Study Design:
SIRT1 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) conducted using samples from 437 consecutive HNSCC patients. Acetylated histone status and p53 expression were also examined.
Results And Conclusion:
IHC revealed 79.6% staining of SIRT1 in HNSCC, while almost all normal tissues showed positive staining. SIRT1 expression predominated in cases involving patients aged >65 years, lymph node negative, and early clinical stage cases. It was positively and statistically correlated with expression of acetylated histone H3K9 and H4K16, but not with p53. Multivariate analyses revealed that expression of SIRT1 was an independent and good indicator of prognosis.
Related Concept Videos
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
Abnormal Proliferation
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
