Serum Annexin A2 Level Is Associated With Diagnosis and Prognosis in Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Purpose In several human cancer types, serum annexin A2 levels are increased, but little is known regarding oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study aimed to measure serum annexin A2 levels in OSCC patients and assess the association with diagnosis and prognosis. Materials and Methods This case-control study compared serum annexin A2 concentrations in a group of OSCC patients and a control group. The predictor variable was the presence or absence of OSCC, and the outcome variable was the level of serum annexin A2. Annexin A2 concentrations were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and correlations with clinicopathologic characteristics of OSCC were further evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank analyses, and a Cox proportional hazards model were used to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of annexin A2. Results Serum samples were taken from 399 individuals: 126 patients with OSCC (aged 62.7 ± 10.6 years, 79 men and 47 women); 115 patients with benign oral disease (aged 63.9 ± 10.8 years, 73 men and 42 women); and 158 healthy controls (aged 65.4 ± 12.8 years, 92 men and 66 women). The annexin A2 level was significantly higher in OSCC patients than in patients with benign disease and controls (27.1 ± 9.81 ng/mL vs 15.9 ± 6.97 ng/mL and 15.0 ± 6.69 ng/mL, respectively). To distinguish OSCC patients from the other 2 groups, ROC curve–area under the ROC curve (AUC) analysis for serum annexin A2 levels provided an AUC of 0.80 (sensitivity, 0.62; specificity, 0.87) and an AUC of 0.77 (sensitivity, 0.57; specificity, 0.89). Furthermore, OSCC patients with high annexin A2 levels had poorer overall survival. Conclusions This study suggested that an elevated serum annexin A2 level might be a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for OSCC patients.