Expression of keratin-1 predicts recurrence and treatment response in advanced laryngeal cancer: a potential therapeutic target

RNA sequencing of 32 FFPE tissue samples, including 11 recurrent and 21 non-recurrent tumor specimens demonstrated higher KRT1 gene expression in the recurrence group than in non-recurrent cases. Patients with KRT1-positive immunostaining exhibited trends of worse overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). In vitro studies showed that KRT1 knockdown suppressed tumor cell invasion, cell migration, and expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines. Additionally, KRT1 knockdown enhanced tumor cell apoptosis and exhibited synergistic effects with conventional radiation and chemotherapy treatments. KRT1 may serve as a biomarker for predicting advanced laryngeal cancer recurrence and assist with selecting patients to receive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). The RNA sequencing cohort comprised 32 FFPE tissue samples, including 11 recurrent and 21 non-recurrent tumor specimens.