Expression of CHL1 in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma and its Association With Prognosis

As a member of the L1 family of neural cell molecules, close homologue of L1 (CHL1) has been proved to be downregulated in several human cancers. In the present study, we aimed to assess the expression and prognostic value of CHL1 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC). Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of CHL1 in tissue microarray chips. Then we compared specific clinicopathologic features in patients with different CHL1 expressions. The correlation between CHL1 expression and overall survival (OS) was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. We found that the expression of CHL1 was significantly lower in CCRCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues, which was correlated with TNM stage (P<0.001), Fuhrman grade (P=0.006), and LVI (P=0.004). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that CCRCC patients with low CHL1 expression had a poorer OS rate than those with high CHL1 expression (P<0.001). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses suggested that CHL1 was an independent and unfavorable prognostic factor for the OS rate of CCRCC patients. Collectively, low expression of CHL1 might predict poor OS rate of CCRCC.