Prognostic value of HOXB7 mRNA expression in human oesophageal squamous cell cancer

AbstractObjective: This study was to determine the role of HOXB7 in predicting outcomes of patients with oesophageal squamous cell cancer (OSCC).Methods: Samples were collected from 179 OSCC patients. HOXB7 mRNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.Results: HOXB7 mRNA expression was up-regulated in 85.1% of OSCC tumorous tissues, and correlated with age, pathological T and N category, as well as cancer-specific survival (CSS). However, subgroup analysis revealed its discernibility on CSS was only pronounced in early stage.Conclusions: HOXB7 mRNA expression might serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for resected OSCC patients in early stage.