GLI1 expression is an important prognostic factor that contributes to the poor prognosis of rhabdomyosarcoma

Yuanyuan Wang¹*, Chao Sun^1,3*, Jinfang Jiang¹, Yuwen Xie¹, Bingcheng Li¹, Xiaobin Cui^1,2, Yunzhao Chen^1,2, Chunxia Liu^1,2 and Feng Li<sup>1,2

1</sup>Department of Pathology, Shihezi University School of Medicine and Key Laboratory for Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Chinese Ministry of Education, Shihezi, Xinjiang, ²Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezi, Xinjiang and ³Department of Medical Oncology, Shanxi Province People’s Hospital, Xian, Shanxi, China
*Equal contributors

Offprint requests to: Chunxia Liu or Feng Li, Department of Pathology, Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832002, China. e-mail: liuliu2239@sina.com or lifeng7855@126.com

Summary. The GLI1 and MDM2 genes are amplified or exhibit copy number gains in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Here, we used immunohistochemistry to determine the relationships between GLI1 and MDM2 protein expression and several clinicopathological variables of RMS. GLI1 and MDM2-positivity rates were 61.36% and 13.64%, respectively. GLI1 expression correlated with presence of the PAX3-FOXO1 fusion gene (P=0.040) and lymph node metastasis (P=0.034), and a significant association was found between GLI1 expression and overall survival (OS) (P=0.008). However, there was no association between MDM2 expression and any of the clinicopathological parameters or OS. Thus, GLI1 may be a biomarker of poor prognosis in RMS patients, and could itself be a therapeutic target. This contrasts with the apparent lack of clinical importance of MDM2 in RMS pathology, at least in the cohorts we examined. Histol Histopathol 31, 329-337 (2016)

Key words: Rhabdomyosarcoma, GLI1, MDM2

DOI: 10.14670/HH-11-682