B7-H4 expression is associated with tumor progression and prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma

Increasing evidences have demonstrated that B7-H4 is associated with tumor development and prognosis. However, the clinical significance of B7-H4 expression in human osteosarcoma (OS) remains unclear. The aim of present study was to examine the B7-H4 expression and to explore its contribution in OS. B7-H4 expression in OS tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry. Soluble B7-H4 (sB7-H4) levels in blood were examined by ELISA. The association of B7-H4 expression with clinicopathological factors or prognosis was statistically analyzed. Our findings demonstrated that B7-H4 expression in OS tissues was significantly higher than those in paired normal bone tissues (P < 0.001). sB7-H4 level in OS serum samples was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (P = 0.005). High B7-H4 expression in tissues and sB7-H4 level were both correlated with advanced tumor stage (P < 0.001, P = 0.017, resp.) and distant metastasis (P = 0.034, P = 0.021, resp.). Additionally, high B7-H4 expression or serum sB7-H4 levels were significantly related to poor overall survival (P = 0.028, P = 0.005, resp.). B7-H4 in tissues and serum samples were an independent factor for affecting the survival time of OS patients (P = 0.004, P = 0.041, resp.). Collectively, our data suggest that the evaluation of B7-H4 expression in tissues and blood is a useful tool for predicting the progression of osteosarcoma and prognosis.