Nuclear factor-kB expression is predictive of overall survival in patients with cutaneous melanoma

MURTAS, DANIELA;PIRAS, FRANCA;MINERBA, LUIGI;Ugalde J;Piga M;MAXIA, CRISTINA;PERRA, MARIA TERESA;Sirigu P.

2010-01-01

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Abstract

Nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B is one of the most important transcription factors that plays a crucial role in the regulation of a wide spectrum of genes involved in modulating the cell cycle, apoptosis, cell growth, angiogenesis, inflammation and the tissue invasiveness of highly malignant cells NF-kappa B activity has been found to be constitutively elevated in a number of human tumors from either a haematological or solid origin, such as melanomas In several studies, NF-kappa B activation was shown to be an adverse prognostic factor, and in melanoma it was proposed as an event that promotes tumor progression This study aimed to evaluate whether NF-kappa B activation in tumor tissues, assessed by the expression of the NF-kappa B p65 subunit, has an effect on the survival of melanoma patients The expression of NF-kappa B was immunohistochemically investigated, and the correlation with survival was analyzed Furthermore, the immunostaining for p53 and survivin was evaluated, and the relationship of these apoptotic and anti-apoptotic factors with NF-kappa B expression was analyzed Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with low levels of NF-kappa B in the nuclei of tumor cells had a significantly longer survival compared to those with high levels Multivariate analysis confirmed the predictive value of nuclear NF-kappa B, showing that its expression maintains significance after the model was adjusted using chnicopathological factors The results demonstrate the correlation of NF-kappa B p65 nuclear staining with the disease-specific 5-year survival of melanoma patients and suggest that nuclear NF-kappa B p65 may be promising as an early independent prognostic factor in patients with primary cutaneous melanoma.