Clinical Implication of Oct4 Expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Lung

Background : Octamer-4 (Oct4), a transcriptional factor involved in regulating embryonic stem cells, may play a role in tumorigenesis. Since little is known about the role of Oct4 as a prognostic factor for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of lung, we investigated its expression in SCC tissue and its clinicopathologic significance. Methods : Formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissues from 79 patients, including 44 complete resections and 35 biopsies, obtained from 1995 to 2008 were immunostained for Oct4, scored, and scores correlated with clinicopathologic parameters and survival. Results : Oct4 expression in tumors was significantly associated with peripheral location (vs central location) (p = 0.004) and pleural invasion (p = 0.018). In 44 complete resections, survival analysis revealed that Oct4 expression and increased stage (II and III vs I) were significantly associated with worse survival in univariate analysis (p = 0.005 and p = 0.009, respectively) and in multivariate analysis (p = 0.024 and p = 0.033, respectively). Conclusions : The expression of Oct4 and high stage in SCC of lung are significant predictors of a poor prognosis and diminished overall survival.