Research Article

Overexpression of JAK2: a predictor of unfavorable prognosis for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Department of Pathology, E-DA Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Institute of Biomedical Science, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Department of Anesthesiology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital & Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

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Peir-In Liang

Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, & Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

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Sung-Wei Lee

Department of Radiation Oncology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Liouying, Tainan, Taiwan

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Tzu-Ju Chen

Department of Pathology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan

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Ti-Chun Chan

Department of Pathology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan

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Chung-Hsi Hsing

Department of Anesthesiology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan

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I-Wei Chang

Department of Pathology, E-DA Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

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Yow-Ling Shiue

Institute of Biomedical Science, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

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Chien-Feng Li

*Author for Correspondence:

E-mail Address: angelo.p@yahoo.com.tw

Department of Pathology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan

National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan, Taiwan

Department of Biotechnology, Southern Taiwan University of Science & Technology, Tainan, Taiwan

Institute of Clinical Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

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Published Online:18 Apr 2016https://doi.org/10.2217/fon-2016-0025

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Abstract

Purpose: Analysis of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma public transcriptome revealed JAK2 was significantly upregulated in tumors, which encouraged us to investigate its prognostic significance and mutational status. Materials & methods: We assessed the immune-expression of JAK2 and its relationships with various clinicopathological parameters. JAK2 mutation was detected by PCR followed by sequencing. Results: High expression of JAK2 was significantly associated with advanced tumor staging (p = 0.019). JAK2 overexpression acted as an independent predictor for worse disease-specific survival (p = 0.005), distant metastasis-free survival (p = 0.036), local recurrence-free survival (p = 0.012) and overall survival (p = 0.007). JAK2 mutation was not detected in selected cases with JAK2 protein overexpression. Conclusion: JAK2 can serve as a valuable negative prognostic factor and a potential therapeutic target.

Keywords:

Papers of special note have been highlighted as: • of interest

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Vol. 12, No. 16

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History

Published online 18 April 2016

Published in print August 2016

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Biobank at Chi Mei Medical Center for providing the tumor samples.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This study was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW103-TD-B-111-05) and E-Da Hospital (EDAHP105012). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

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