Open Access

Hexokinase 2 as an independent risk factor for worse patient survival in esophageal adenocarcinoma and as a potential therapeutic target protein: A retrospective, single‑center cohort study

  • Authors:
    • Su Ir Lyu
    • Adrian Georg Simon
    • Jin-On Jung
    • Caroline Fretter
    • Wolfgang Schröder
    • Christiane J. Bruns
    • Thomas Schmidt
    • Alexander Quaas
    • Karl Knipper
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: August 13, 2024     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2024.14628
  • Article Number: 495
  • Copyright: © Lyu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Cancer cells exhibit a distinct metabolic profile that features an upregulation of less efficient glycolysis accompanied by lactate production for energy generation, in contract to the characteristic metabolism of normal cells. Consequently, cancer research has focused on the enzymes that participate in these cancer metabolic pathways. Among them, hexokinase 2 (HK2) has an important position as the initial enzyme in the glycolytic pathway. Increased expression levels of HK2 have been correlated with an increased risk of poor patient outcomes and advanced tumor stages in a number of malignant tumors, such as gastric carcinoma. The present study aimed to investigate the specific role of HK2 in patients diagnosed with esophageal adenocarcinoma. A total of 643 patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma were included. Immunohistochemical staining and HK2 mRNA in situ probes were used to investigate the association of HK2 expression levels with clinical and molecular tumor characteristics. Patients who exhibited high HK2 expression levels demonstrated significantly reduced overall survival (OS) times compared with patients who exhibited low HK2 expression levels (29.6 vs. 39.9 months, respectively; P=0.027). Furthermore, high HK2 expression levels were demonstrated to be an independent risk factor for reduced patient survival (hazard ratio, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.09‑2.50; P=0.018). Significantly reduced patient survival was also demonstrated in the subgroups of male patients, patients with primarily resected tumors, patients with HER2‑negative tumors and patients with tumors exhibiting Y chromosome loss. Elevated expression of HK2 was identified as a risk factor for unfavorable patient survival in esophageal adenocarcinoma. This revelation suggests the potential for future diagnostic and therapeutic avenues tailored to this specific patient subset. Identifying patients with high HK2 expression may pinpoint a higher‑risk cohort, paving the way for comprehensive prospective studies that could advocate for intensified monitoring and more aggressive therapeutic regimens. Furthermore, the targeted inhibition of HK2 could hold promise as a strategy to potentially enhance patient outcomes.
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October-2024
Volume 28 Issue 4

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
Online ISSN:1792-1082

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Spandidos Publications style
Lyu SI, Simon AG, Jung J, Fretter C, Schröder W, Bruns CJ, Schmidt T, Quaas A and Knipper K: Hexokinase 2 as an independent risk factor for worse patient survival in esophageal adenocarcinoma and as a potential therapeutic target protein: A retrospective, single‑center cohort study. Oncol Lett 28: 495, 2024.
APA
Lyu, S.I., Simon, A.G., Jung, J., Fretter, C., Schröder, W., Bruns, C.J. ... Knipper, K. (2024). Hexokinase 2 as an independent risk factor for worse patient survival in esophageal adenocarcinoma and as a potential therapeutic target protein: A retrospective, single‑center cohort study. Oncology Letters, 28, 495. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2024.14628
MLA
Lyu, S. I., Simon, A. G., Jung, J., Fretter, C., Schröder, W., Bruns, C. J., Schmidt, T., Quaas, A., Knipper, K."Hexokinase 2 as an independent risk factor for worse patient survival in esophageal adenocarcinoma and as a potential therapeutic target protein: A retrospective, single‑center cohort study". Oncology Letters 28.4 (2024): 495.
Chicago
Lyu, S. I., Simon, A. G., Jung, J., Fretter, C., Schröder, W., Bruns, C. J., Schmidt, T., Quaas, A., Knipper, K."Hexokinase 2 as an independent risk factor for worse patient survival in esophageal adenocarcinoma and as a potential therapeutic target protein: A retrospective, single‑center cohort study". Oncology Letters 28, no. 4 (2024): 495. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2024.14628