The clinical significance of CD133, MACC1, and KAI1 expression in sebaceous gland carcinoma of the eyelid

Background and purpose: CD133, which is considered a useful biomarker for the prediction of metastasis and prognosis for various cancers, is a biomarker of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) has been considered an oncogene that promotes invasion and metastasis in many solid tumors. KAI1 is a suppressor gene of metastasis and is also considered a valuable biomarker for the prediction of tumor invasion and metastasis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of CD133, MACC1, and KAI1 in sebaceous gland carcinoma of the eyelid (SGCE) and to analyze their respective associations with clinicopathologic characteristics and survival in SGCE. Methods: Positive expression of CD133, MACC1, and KAI1 in 77 whole SGCE tissues and the corresponding normal tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. Patient demographics, clinical data, and follow-up data were collected. Results: The positive expression of CD133 and MACC1 was significantly higher and KAI1 significantly lower in SGCE tissues compared to the control tissues. The Positive expression of CD133 and MACC1 was positively associated with local invasion, lymph node metastasis (LNM), and TNM stages. KAI1 expression was inversely associated with tumor grade, local invasion, LNM, and TNM stages. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that CD133+ or MACC1+ patients had a significantly lower overall survival (OS) time when compared with CD133- or MACC1-patients. And KAI1+ patients had a significantly longer OS time compared with KAI1-patients. Multivariate analysis showed that positive expression of CD133, MACC1, and KAI1, as well as the TNM stages were independent prognostic factors in SGCE patients. Conclusion: The expression of CD133, MACC1, and KAI1 should be considered promising biomarkers for invasion, metastasis, and prognosis, as well as potential therapeutic targets for SGCE.