%0 Journal Article %T Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) is a marker for aggressive salivary gland carcinoma %A Wen-Ting Liao %A Ling Guo %A Yi Zhong %A Yan-Heng Wu %A Jun Li %A Li-Bing Song %J Journal of Translational Medicine %D 2011 %I BioMed Central %R 10.1186/1479-5876-9-205 %X Real-time PCR and western blot analyses were employed to examine AEG-1 expression in two normal salivary gland tissues, eight SGC tissues of various clinical stages, and five pairs of primary SGC and adjacent salivary gland tissues from the same patient. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to examine AEG-1 protein expression in paraffin-embedded tissues from 141 SGC patients. Statistical analyses was applies to evaluate the diagnostic value and associations of AEG-1 expression with clinical parameters.AEG-1 expression was evidently up-regulated in SGC tissues compared with that in the normal salivary gland tissues and in matched adjacent salivary gland tissues. AEG-1 protein level was positively correlated with clinical stage (P < 0.001), T classification (P = 0.008), N classification (P = 0.008) and M classifications (P = 0.006). Patients with higher AEG-1 expression had shorter overall survival time, whereas those with lower tumor AEG-1 expression had longer survival time.Our results suggest that AEG-1 expression is associated with SGC progression and may represent a novel and valuable predictor for prognostic evaluation of SGC patients.Salivary gland carcinoma (SGC) is a relatively rare cancer that accounts for less than 5% of all head and neck cancers [1,2]. It is among the most complex malignancies owing to diverse histological characteristics and biological behaviors. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, SGC is one of the most complex malignancies for it has up to 24 different histological subtypes [3]. Although there have been some remarkable advances, treating SGC is still challenging, and the clinical outcomes of advanced SGC have not significantly improved [4]. More than 5% of patients suffer a recurrence at the primary site and/or distant metastasis, and the incidence of occult lymph node metastasis is also high in major SGC types [5,6]. Due to the limited number of cases available in most series of salivary gland tumors, %K AEG-1 %K Biomarker %K Prognosis %K Salivary gland carcinomas %U http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/9/1/205