Expression of DNA topoisomerase II-α: Clinical significance in laryngeal carcinoma

DNA topoisomerase II-α (Topo II-α) is essential for numerous cell processes, including DNA replication, transcription, recombination, and chromosome separation and condensation. Altered Topo II-α expression may lead to carcinogenesis and cancer progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between Topo II-α expression levels and clinicopathological data from laryngeal cancer patients. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze Topo II-α expression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and distant healthy tissues obtained from 70 patients. In addition, fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to detect Topo II-α amplification and chromosome 17 ploidy using a laryngeal cancer tissue microarray. The expression of Topo II-α protein was detected in 71.43% (50/70) of laryngeal carcinoma tissues, in contrast to 9% of healthy tissues (2/22). Furthermore, the expression of Topo II-α protein was found to be associated with tumor de-differentiation and advanced tumor T stage. However, the expression of Topo II-α protein was not identified to be associated with Topo II-α amplification in laryngeal carcinoma, although was found to positively correlate with chromosome 17 aneuploidy (P<0.05). A higher aneuploidy rate contributed to increased expression levels of Topo II-α protein. Aberrant Topo II-α expression and chromosome 17 aneuploidy contributed to the development and progression of laryngeal cancer, indicating that targeting Topo II-α may provide a treatment strategy for patients with laryngeal cancer.