High TMPRSS4 expression is a predictor of poor prognosis in cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical role of TMPRSS4 expression in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) and to investigate the role of TMPRSS4 in predicting outcomes of patients with CSCC.

Methods: The retrospective study enrolled 87 patients diagnosed with CSCC between 2004 and 2006. TMPRSS4 expression in CSCC was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and data on clinical variables were collected by retrospective chart review. The impact of TMPRSS4 expression on 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and 5-year overall survival (OS) was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling.

Results: The high expression of TMPRSS4 was 63.2% in 87 patients with CSCC, and 17.5% in 40 patients with benign cervical disease (P<0.001). High TMPRSS4 expression was significantly associated with tumor grade (P=0.005), lymph node metastasis (P=0.004), and deep cervical stromal invasion (P=0.025). Patients with high expression of TMPRSS4 had shorter OS and DFS than those with low expression (P=0.0205 and P=0.0318, respectively). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, high expression of TMPRSS4 was a potential prognostic indicator for OS (P=0.041) and DFS (P=0.015).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that TMPRSS4 might play an important role in the progression of CSCC. TMPRSS4 could be a potential prognostic marker of CSCC.