The expression and significance of the HOXA7 gene in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to examine the expression of HOXA7 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its correlation with clinical features. Sixty tissue specimens were collected from 60 OSCC patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Stomatological Hospital affiliated to Guizhou Medical University. Sixty specimens of normal oral tissue were also collected from 60 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Expression of HOXA7 was assessed by real time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Relative to the control group, HOXA7 was up-regulated in OSCC tissues at both the mRNA and protein levels (P < 0.05), and HOXA7 expression in poorly differentiated cancers was higher than that in highly differentiated cancers (P < 0.05). HOXA7 expression was higher in patients with stage III and IV cancer than in patients with stage I and II cancer (P < 0.05). Higher HOXA7 expression was also associated with the presence of vascular and nerve invasion, and lymph node and distant metastasis. HOXA7 expression in OSCC is markedly increased at both the mRNA and protein levels, and this is positively correlated with clinical stage and the degree of tumor differentiation. These data suggest that HOXA7 could serve as a diagnostic marker for OSCC or a treatment target.

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