Characterization of the secretogranin VGF (SgVII) nerve growth factor inducible gene in laryngeal carcinoma to identify a new potential tumor marker and independent prognostic factor
| Componente | Categoria |
|---|---|
| Francesca Yoshie Russo | Componenti strutturati del gruppo di ricerca |
| Dario Marcotullio | Componenti strutturati del gruppo di ricerca |
| Antonio Greco | Componenti strutturati del gruppo di ricerca |
| Andrea Colizza | Dottorando/Assegnista/Specializzando componente non strutturato del gruppo di ricerca |
| Componente | Qualifica | Struttura | Categoria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinzia Severini | Ricercatore | Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology of the National Research Council | Altro personale aggregato Sapienza o esterni, titolari di borse di studio di ricerca |
| Maria Grazia Di Certo | Ricercatore | Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology of the National Research Council | Altro personale aggregato Sapienza o esterni, titolari di borse di studio di ricerca |
| Francesca Gabanella | Assegnista di Ricerca | Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology of the National Research Council | Altro personale aggregato Sapienza o esterni, titolari di borse di studio di ricerca |
The identification of novel independent prognostic markers is of paramount importance for the advancement of research, accuracy of preoperative diagnosis and improvement of survival rate in patients with laryngeal cancer.
Chromogranins are commonly used as markers of neuroendocrine tumors, including laryngeal tumors. A member of this family, the Secretogranin VGF (non-acronymic), a nerve growth factor inducible gene, has been shown to trigger epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in lung adenocarcinoma, suggesting its potential utility as a marker for acquirement of tumor invasiveness. However, no data exist about the presence and role of VGF in laryngeal cancer.
Considering the role exerted by VGF in the regulation of cell survival and proliferation, the presence of this polypeptide in laryngeal tumors may represent a relevant factor to identify patients with poor prognosis in tumors of both neuroendocrine and, conceivably, epithelial origin.
The aim of this study is to potentially identify the Secretogranin VGF as a new marker of the active/proliferating status of the tumor, thus detecting neoplastic lesions with higher risk of tumor invasiveness also in non-neuroendocrine tumors.
Thirty patients with laryngeal cancer will be included in the study. Primary tumor tissue and healthy laryngeal tissue from the same patient will be collected during surgery. In addition, a blood sample will be collected pre- and post-operatively during follow up at 6 and 9 months and analyzed by Western blotting. The presence of VGF expression in patients samples will be evaluated by Real-time PCR analysis and the presence of the corresponding protein by immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis.
The innovation of this research project is to address whether VGF can be considered an independent prognostic factor in laryngeal carcinomas, with the aim to achieve an appropriate diagnosis, a better management of follow-up and a potential target therapy.