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High expression of SPHK1 in sacral chordoma and association with patients' poor prognosis
Kai Zhang1, Hao Chen, Guizhong Wu
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China.
Abstract:
Sacral chordoma is an aggressive bone tumor with a high local recurrence rate. Surgery remains the standard treatment because of its resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, recurrence occurs frequently even after complete surgical resection. Great effort has been invested in discovering novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. To date, the molecular mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we evaluated the expression of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) in 42 sacral chordoma samples and 16 distant normal tissue specimens by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, we analyzed its association with the clinical factors and patients' prognosis. Of all the chordoma samples, 69 % (29/42) showed high expression of SPHK1, whereas, only 19 % (3/16) of distant normal tissues expressed a high level of SPHK1 (p = 0.001). Chi-square analysis revealed that high expression of SPHK1 was significantly correlated with tumor recurrence (p = 0.019) and invasion into surrounding muscle (p = 0.005), while the data did not indicate any association with patients' gender, age, tumor location and size (p > 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curve and log-rank test showed that patients with high expression of SPHK1 possessed shorter continuous disease-free survival time. Conclusively, SPHK1 may become a potential biomarker for sacral chordoma in predicting its recurrence and patients' prognosis.
Insights
High expression of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) is linked to sacral chordoma recurrence. This finding suggests SPHK1 may serve as a biomarker for predicting tumor recurrence and patient prognosis in sacral chordoma.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biomarker Discovery
- Molecular Pathology
Background:
- Sacral chordoma is an aggressive bone tumor characterized by high local recurrence rates despite surgical treatment.
- Current therapeutic strategies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, show limited efficacy, necessitating the search for novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
- The underlying molecular mechanisms driving sacral chordoma progression and recurrence remain largely undefined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression levels of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) in sacral chordoma tissues.
- To determine the association between SPHK1 expression and clinicopathological features of sacral chordoma.
- To evaluate the prognostic value of SPHK1 in predicting disease recurrence and patient survival.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical staining was employed to assess SPHK1 expression in 42 sacral chordoma samples and 16 adjacent normal tissues.
- Statistical analyses, including Chi-square tests and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, were performed to correlate SPHK1 expression with clinical factors and patient prognosis.
- Tumor recurrence, invasion into surrounding muscle, gender, age, tumor location, and size were analyzed in relation to SPHK1 expression levels.
Main Results:
- High SPHK1 expression was observed in 69% of sacral chordoma samples, compared to only 19% in normal tissues (p = 0.001).
- Elevated SPHK1 expression significantly correlated with increased tumor recurrence (p = 0.019) and invasion into surrounding muscle (p = 0.005).
- Patients with high SPHK1 expression exhibited a shorter continuous disease-free survival time.
Conclusions:
- SPHK1 is frequently overexpressed in sacral chordoma.
- SPHK1 expression serves as a potential predictive biomarker for sacral chordoma recurrence and patient prognosis.
- Targeting SPHK1 may represent a future therapeutic strategy for managing sacral chordoma.
