Expression of seven-in-absentia homologue 1 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha: Novel prognostic factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an EBV-associated cancer. We analysed Siah1 expression as well as LMP1 and HIF1α expression by immuno-histochemical staining in 74 NPC biopsy specimens and found that the expression of Siah1 was significantly correlated with advanced tumour status and stage. Moreover, Siah1-positive and HIF1α-positive cases had significantly worse prognoses. The expression score for LMP1 was remarkably correlated with that of Siah1, whereas there was little correlation between LMP1 expression and the other markers evaluated. This is the first study to evaluate the pattern and clinical significance of Siah1 and HIF1α expression in NPC, and such an evaluation is valuable for identifying those patients at a high risk for a poor prognosis.

► We investigated the expression of Siah1, HIF1α, and EBV-LMP1 in NPC biopsy specimens.
► Siah1 expression was correlated with advanced tumour status and stage with NPC patients.
► Siah1- and HIF1α-positive cases had worse prognosis in NPC patients.
► LMP1 expression was correlated with that of Siah1.
► The evaluation of Siah1 and HIF1α expression is useful for identifying NPC patients at a high risk for poor prognosis.