SOD2 immunoexpression predicts lymph node metastasis in penile cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biochemistry
• Cellular Biology

Background:

• Superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD2) is a key antioxidant enzyme regulating cellular redox balance in normal and cancerous cells.
• Elevated SOD2 expression is documented in various cancers, including lung, gastric, colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers.
• The role of SOD2 in penile cancer, particularly its association with lymph node metastasis, remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression levels of SOD2 in penile squamous cell carcinoma.
• To determine if SOD2 expression is associated with inguinal lymph node metastasis in penile cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry was employed to assess SOD2 protein expression in 125 primary penile squamous cell carcinoma samples.
• Descriptive statistics were used for patient cohort characterization.
• Exploratory logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of lymph node metastasis.

Main Results:

• SOD2 expression in over 50% of cells was detected in 44.8% of the studied penile carcinomas.
• This high SOD2 expression pattern was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis.
• The association between SOD2 expression and lymph node metastasis remained significant in both univariate and multivariate analyses.

Conclusions:

• SOD2 expression serves as a predictive marker for regional lymph node metastasis in penile cancer.
• These findings highlight the potential clinical utility of SOD2 as a biomarker, warranting further investigation.