Aberrant expression of N-glycolyl GM3 ganglioside is associated with the aggressive biological behavior of human sarcomas.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The aberrant expression of N-glycolyl GM3 ganglioside (NeuGcGM3) in patients with sarcomas was reevaluated by assessing the relation of this molecule with some clinicopathological features and overall survival (OS) of patients.

METHODS:

Fifty formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens from patients diagnosed with sarcomas were included. For the evaluation of NeuGcGM3, the 14F7 monoclonal antibody followed by a peroxidase avidin-biotin system was used. Clinicopathological features were obtained from patient records. Survival rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. For multivariate analyses, the Cox regression model was used to identify independent prognostic factors for OS.

RESULTS:

The majority of samples had high levels of NeuGcGM3 expression (66.0%) that showed statistical correlation with age (p = 0.014), TNM stage (p = 0.022), histological grade (p = 0.013) and proliferation rates (p = 0.012). In addition, a tendency for association with tumor depth (p = 0.070) was evidenced. In univariate survival analysis, TNM stage (p = 0.000), occurrence of metastasis (p = 0.000) and expression of NeuGcGM3 (p = 0.034) were significant prognostic factors for OS, while a tendency for association was evidenced for histological grade (p = 0.091). Among these variables, only the presence of metastasis (p = 0.001) was an independent prognostic factor on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS:

The present research suggests the evaluation of NeuGcGM3 expression as a complementary prognostic factor in sarcoma, although our results need to be validated in a larger series and prospective studies. Moreover, our results could support the use of this molecule as a target for immunotherapy.

• Authors: Daniel Pilco-Janeta, Myriam De la Cruz Puebla, Jorge Soriano, Marta Osorio, Iraida Caballero, Adanays Calvo Pérez, Laynes Savon, Natalia Cremades, Rancés Blanco, Adriana Carr
• Journal: BMC cancer (BMC Cancer) Vol. 19 Issue 1 Pg. 556 (Jun 10 2019) ISSN: 1471-2407 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 31182063 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• G(M3) Ganglioside
• N-glycolylneuraminyllactosylceramide

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Cell Proliferation
• Female
• G(M3) Ganglioside (analogs & derivatives, metabolism)
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasm Metastasis
• Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
• Neoplasm Staging
• Prognosis
• Prospective Studies
• Sarcoma (metabolism, mortality)
• Survival Analysis
• Young Adult