Differential expression of LOXL4 in normal and tumour tissue samples of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer in worldwide with an increasing incidence rate in recent years. LOXL4 is expressed in several tissues, and its expression has been shown to display a significant correlation with local lymph node metastasis. In this study, we aimed to explore the LOXL4 expression level in metastatic and non‐metastatic LSCC tissues and to determine its prognostic significance. Study design Basic science research study. Setting University hospital. Participants A total of 40 patients were included in the study. Main outcome measure LOXL4 expression status in metastatic, non‐metastatic LSCC and normal tissue samples was investigated by quantitative reverse‐transcription PCR. Results We demonstrated that LOXL4 was significantly overexpressed in LSCC tumour tissue samples in comparison with the corresponding normal tissues (P < 0.001); however, no significant relationship has been found between LOXL4 expression and either the metastatic potential or the T classification of the specimens. Conclusions Although expression of LOXL4 is not statistically associated with neck metastases, we showed that LOXL4 expression significantly increased in laryngeal cancer.