Wang Hongwei, Qi Suqing, Liu Chaobing, Qiao Zhenhua, Zhang Chao
Department of Stomatology, Hebei Eye Hospital Xingtai 054001, Hebei, China.
Hebei Provincial Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Hebei Eye Hospital Xingtai 054001, Hebei, China.
Am J Cancer Res. 2025 Aug 15;15(8):3434-3448. doi: 10.62347/ZBIH5385. eCollection 2025.
To investigate the expression and diagnostic utility of solute carrier family 40 member 1 (SLC40A1) in differentiating early diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from adenoid hypertrophy (AH), and to develop a prognostic prediction model based on its expression.
Public databases were used to analyze SLC40A1 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) and its association with prognosis, pathological staging, and immune infiltration. A total of 102 NPC patients, 97 AH patients, and 101 healthy controls were enrolled between October 2021 and October 2023. SLC40A1 expressions in tissues and serum were assessed via real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Associations with clinicopathological features were evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves evaluated diagnostic performance. Logistic regression identified prognostic factors, and a predictive model was constructed.
Bioinformatics analysis indicated downregulated SLC40A1 in HNSC, negatively associated with tumor (T) stage and distant metastasis (M) stage. Clinical validation showed significantly lower SLC40A1 mRNA and protein levels in NPC compared to AH and controls, with negative correlation to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection (all P<0.05). Serum SLC40A1 mRNA demonstrated 90.20% sensitivity and 62.38% specificity for NPC diagnosis. When combined with EBV DNA, it yielded an improved diagnostic performance (AUC=0.913). Tumor diameter >5 cm and lymph nodes ≥2 were independent risk factors for NPC progression, while high SLC40A1 expression was protective (OR=0.140, 95% CI: 0.028-0.700). The final model achieved 91.67% sensitivity and 72.00% specificity (AUC=0.863).
SLC40A1 is significantly downregulated in NPC and may serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, especially when combined with EBV status.
探讨溶质载体家族40成员1（SLC40A1）在鼻咽癌（NPC）早期诊断与腺样体肥大（AH）鉴别诊断中的表达及诊断价值，并基于其表达建立预后预测模型。
利用公共数据库分析溶质载体家族40成员1（SLC40A1）在头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSC）中的表达及其与预后、病理分期和免疫浸润的关系。2021年10月至2023年10月共纳入102例鼻咽癌患者、97例腺样体肥大患者和101例健康对照。通过实时逆转录聚合酶链反应和蛋白质免疫印迹法评估组织和血清中SLC40A1的表达。评估其与临床病理特征的相关性。采用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线评估诊断性能。通过逻辑回归确定预后因素，并构建预测模型。
生物信息学分析表明，头颈部鳞状细胞癌中溶质载体家族40成员1（SLC40A1）表达下调，与肿瘤（T）分期和远处转移（M）分期呈负相关。临床验证显示，与腺样体肥大和对照组相比，鼻咽癌中SLC40A1的mRNA和蛋白水平显著降低，与EB病毒（EBV）感染呈负相关（均P<0.05）。血清SLC40A1 mRNA对鼻咽癌诊断的敏感性为90.20%，特异性为62.38%。与EBV DNA联合检测时，诊断性能有所提高（AUC=0.913）。肿瘤直径>5 cm和淋巴结≥2个是鼻咽癌进展的独立危险因素，而SLC40A1高表达具有保护作用（OR=0.140，95%CI：0.028-0.700）。最终模型的敏感性为91.67%，特异性为72.00%（AUC=0.863）。
溶质载体家族40成员1（SLC40A1）在鼻咽癌中显著下调，可作为诊断和预后生物标志物，尤其是与EBV状态联合时。
