Diagnostic and prognostic significance of human kallikrein 11 (KLK11) mRNA expression levels in patients with laryngeal cancer

ObjectivesHuman kallikrein 11 gene (KLK11) encodes a secreted serine protease. In view of its diagnostic and prognostic strength in many malignancies, we investigated the mRNA expression levels of KLK11 in laryngeal tissues in order to unveil its clinical usefulness in laryngeal cancer.Design and methodsKLK11 expression was quantified in 163 tissue samples from 105 laryngeal cancer patients with the development of a highly sensitive real-time PCR methodology, using SYBR Green® chemistry.ResultsKLK11 expression in laryngeal cancer specimens of primary or recurrent nature was significantly inferior compared with their non-malignant counterparts (P < 0.001 and P = 0.026, respectively), a finding of immense diagnostic value as illustrated in the ROC curve analyses (P < 0.001). Survival analysis showed that patients harboring KLK11-positive tumors had a significantly decreased risk of death (HR = 0.26, P = 0.042).ConclusionsOur data recommend KLK11 mRNA expression as a novel and independent biomarker in laryngeal cancer for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.

► We examined KLK11 mRNA expression in cancerous and non-cancerous laryngeal tissues.
► KLK11 was downregulated in laryngeal cancer, a finding of diagnostic importance.
► High KLK11 expression was associated with early-stage disease and favorable prognosis.
► KLK11 could serve as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator for laryngeal cancer.