Vasohibin-1 as a novel prognostic factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Aim: We evaluated the prognostic value of vasohibin-1 (VASH1) expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemistry for VASH1 and cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34) was performed on 61 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma specimens. The association between VASH1 expression in the tumour and clinical outcomes was analyzed statistically. Results: VASH1 staining in normal tissue adjacent to cancerous tissue was negative, whereas it was positive in tumour blood vessels and AE1/AE3 and Ki67-positive tumour cells. Therefore, we examined the association between VASH1 expression in the tumour and clinical outcomes. Patients with high VASH1 expression in tumour had significantly shorter disease-free survival and more frequently had lymph node recurrence than those with low VASH1 expression. Conclusion: These results suggest that VASH1 expression is associated with tumour progression and may be useful as a prognostic marker of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.