Comparison of GeneChip, nCounter, and Real-Time PCR-Based Gene Expressions Predicting Locoregional Tumor Control after Primary and Postoperative Radiochemotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • German Cancer Consortium Radiation Oncology Group - (Author)
  • Institute of Pathology
  • German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dresden site (Partner: DZNE of the Helmholtz Association)
  • University Cancer Centre
  • German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Dresden
  • German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
  • SRH University Heidelberg
  • OncoRay - National Centre for Radiation Research in Oncology
  • University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden
  • National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg
  • Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
  • University of Duisburg-Essen
  • University Hospital Frankfurt
  • Freiburg University of Education
  • University of Basel
  • German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) partner site Munich
  • University Hospital Tübingen
  • University Cancer Center (UCC)
  • TUD Dresden University of Technology
  • Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
  • Tumour- and Normal Tissue Bank

Abstract

This article compares the expression and applicability of biomarkers, from single genes and gene signatures, identified in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using the GeneChip Human Transcriptome Array 2.0, nCounter, and real-time PCR analyses. Two multicenter, retrospective cohorts of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma from the German Cancer Consortium Radiation Oncology Group who received postoperative radiochemotherapy or primary radiochemotherapy were considered. Real-time PCR was performed for a limited number of 38 genes of the cohort who received postoperative radiochemotherapy only. Correlations between the methods were evaluated by the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Patients were stratified based on the expression of putative cancer stem cell markers, hypoxia-associated gene signatures, and a previously developed seven-gene signature. Locoregional tumor control was compared between these patient subgroups using log-rank tests. Gene expressions obtained from nCounter analyses were moderately correlated to GeneChip analyses (median ρ = approximately 0.68). A higher correlation was obtained between nCounter analyses and real-time PCR (median ρ = 0.84). Significant associations with locoregional tumor control were observed for most of the considered biomarkers evaluated by GeneChip and nCounter analyses. In general, all applied biomarkers (single genes and gene signatures) classified approximately 70% to 85% of the patients similarly. Overall, gene signatures seem to be more robust and had a better transferability among different measurement methods.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)801-810
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Molecular Diagnostics
Volume22
Issue number6
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2020
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85085345001
ORCID /0000-0002-7017-3738/work/142253972

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics, Chemoradiotherapy/methods, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Gene Expression, Gene Expression Profiling/methods, Head and Neck Neoplasms/genetics, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasm Recurrence, Local, Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis/methods, Prognosis, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods, Retrospective Studies, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/genetics, Transcriptome, Young Adult