Elevated HERV-K Expression in Soft Tissue Sarcoma Is Associated with Worsened Relapse-Free Survival

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genomics
• Virology

Background:

• Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are genomic sequences with varying expression linked to cancer prognosis.
• The role of HERV expression in sarcomagenesis and soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patient outcomes remains largely unexplored.
• Previous studies indicate HERV involvement in other cancers like breast, ovarian, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between HERV-K and HERV-F expression and clinicopathological characteristics in STS.
• To evaluate the impact of HERV-K and HERV-F expression on STS patient prognosis.
• To explore correlations between HERV expression, tumor characteristics, and hypoxia-related RNAs.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative real-time PCR was used to assess HERV-K and HERV-F expression in 120 STS patient specimens.
• Spearman's rank correlation was employed to analyze associations between HERV expression and clinicopathological factors.
• Survival analyses (disease-specific and relapse-free) were conducted using log-rank tests.

Main Results:

• Significant positive correlation observed between HERV-K and HERV-F expression (rS = 0.5, p = 6.4 × 10-9).
• Tumor diameter showed a significant negative association with both HERV-K and HERV-F expression.
• Elevated HERV-K expression was significantly linked to shorter relapse-free survival in STS patients (p = 0.014).

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first evidence linking increased HERV-K expression in tumors to poorer prognosis in STS patients.
• HERV-K and HERV-F expression levels are correlated and associated with tumor size and hypoxia markers.
• HERV-K expression serves as a potential prognostic biomarker for relapse-free survival in soft tissue sarcoma.