Psoriasin expression is associated with survival in patients with human papillomavirus-positive base of tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Patients with human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) base of tongue squamous cell carcinomas (BOTSCC) have an improved survival compared with patients with HPV-negative BOTSCC and it has been suggested that treatment should be tailored. Before individualized treatment can be introduced, additional prognostic markers are required. A prognostic role of psoriasin has previously been demonstrated outside BOTSCC. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine psoriasin in BOTSCC, with focus on HPV+ BOTSCC, in relation to prognosis. A total of 72 BOTSCC samples were stained for psoriasin by immunohistochemistry, and the association between expression and clinical outcomes was analyzed. Patients with low psoriasin expression exhibited significantly improved overall survival (OS; P=0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS; P=0.007), which also was observed in patients with HPV+ BOTSCC (OS, P<0.001; DFS, P=0.02). Furthermore, psoriasin was a significant prognostic factor in univariable and multivariable analyses. In conclusion, psoriasin could be used as a prognostic marker in HPV+ BOTSCC.