ADAM10 Is a Potential Novel Prognostic Biomarker for Sacral Chordoma.

The ADAM (A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease) is a zinc-dependent family of transmembrane proteins upregulated in cancers. As the most frequent member, ADAM10's potential prognostic role in chordoma is unknown. Objective. We investigated the expression of ADAM10 protein and its prognostic value in sacral chordoma. Design. Clinical information of patients with sacral chordoma diagnosis during a 7-year period and their archived pathology were retrieved. Immunohistochemistry study of the expression of ADAM10 protein in sacral chordoma and control samples was conducted. The ADAM10 expression was correlated with the patients' clinicopathological information and analyzed by statistical methods. Results. The average age of 64 patients was 57.6 years (range, 35-83 years). Follow-up ranged from 12 to 141 months (mean, 72 months). The histological type included 47 classic, 6 chondroid, and 11 dedifferentiated chordomas. The expression level of ADAM10 was significantly correlated with the histological type (chi(2)=11.345, P=0.003), metastasis (chi(2)=10.149, P=0.001), overall survival (log-rank test: chi(2)=8.177, P=0.004) and disease free survival (log-rank test: chi(2)=6.805, P=0.009). The average survival time of patients with weak expression of ADAM10 was longer than that of strong expression. Conclusion. The expression of ADAM10 protein is related to the histologic type and the prognosis of sacral chordoma.