HHEX Exhibits High Expression Levels in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Influences the Chemosensitivity of Primary Cells to Paclitaxel
نویسندگان
1 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Zigong First Peo-ple's Hospital, Zigong, 643000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
2 Department of Ophthalmic Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Leshan Second People’s Hospital, Leshan, 614000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
3 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
4 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
5 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
6 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Dazhou integrated TCM & Wester Medicine Hospital, Dazhou, 635000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
7 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
8 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
doi
10.22034/ircmj.2025.493479.1719چکیده
Background and Objectives: The hematopoietically expressed homeobox protein (HHEX) is closely related to the occurrence and development of a variety of neoplasms. The aim of this study was to explore the role of HHEX expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissue and its clinical significance. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we examined the expression of HHEX, the sensitivity of 8 common chemotherapeutic agents, in 76 NPC tissue specimens. The relationship between HHEX expression and clinical pathological factors, chemotherapy sensitivity and prognosis were analyzed by t test, chi-square test, analysis of variance, rank sum test, Spearman correlation analysis, log-rank test and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. Results: HHEX expression was significantly upregulated in NPC tissues compared with chronic inflammatory tissues (P<0.001). HHEX expression was negatively correlated with T stage (r=-0.55, P<0.001), N stage (r=-0.36, P=0.006), M stage (r=-0.27, P=0.022) and clinical stage (r=-0.63, P<0.001). Chemotherapy resistance to paclitaxel was significantly lower in NPC tissue with high HHEX expression than that with low HHEX expression (P=0.004). The periods of progression-free survival in patients with low HHEX expression were significantly shorter than those in patients with high HHEX expression (P=0.041). Conclusion: HHEX was highly expressed in NPC tissue and may be involved in the NPC occurrence and development process. The levels of HHEX expression may possess significant prognostic value for individuals suffering from NPC. Monitoring of HHEX expression in these patients could provide critical insights into their sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents and contribute to the evaluation of overall treatment outcomes.
