Expression of podoplanin correlates with prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Purpose Podoplanin is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that plays a role in lymphangiogenesis. Several studies suggest a role of podoplanin in head-and-neck cancer. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the role of podoplanin as a prognostic marker in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods In a monocentric retrospective analysis, data of 42 patients with primary diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (diagnosed between 2004 and 2017) were examined regarding the relationship between the immunohistochemically analyzed podoplanin expression status and corresponding clinical and oncological parameters. Results The mean age was 56.6 years. The majority (61.9%) had an advanced tumor stage (T3-T4). The 5-year overall survival was 54%. 33% showed a positive expression of podoplanin. In patients with tumors with podoplanin expression, 5-year overall survival was 15%, while in patients with tumors without podoplanin expression, 5-year overall survival was 75% (p = 0.017, univariate analysis). In multivariate analysis, podoplanin expression was shown to be the only independent prognostic marker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (p = 0.025). Conclusion This retrospective study shows that podoplanin expression is a potential prognostic marker for nasopharyngeal carcinomas. In the future, clinical use could filter out more aggressive courses and allow therapy escalation in those cases.