MAP2K6 is associated with radiation resistance and adverse prognosis for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients

Background Although radiotherapy is the primary therapeutic option for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), local recurrence and distant metastasis caused by radioresistance are still the major barriers for some NPC patients who cannot benefit from radiotherapy. In this study, we analyzed the association between MAP2K6 expression and radioresistance in patients with locally advanced NPC. Methods We collected 120 NPC patients who received radiotherapy in the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from August 2008 to July 2012. The clinical data and tissue samples of patients were collected. Detection of MAP2K6 was performed using immunohistochemical staining. Results The rates of two groups were 19.4% and 4.2%, and significant difference was observed between MAP2K6 high expression group and low expression group (χ2=5.817, P=0.016). The Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested a significant difference in the survival rate between two groups (P<0.05). The results from multivariate Cox regression indicated that the MAP2K6 was independently related to adverse prognosis in NCP patients (HR =3.40, 95% CI =1.13-10.26, P=0.030). Conclusion The present study indicated that MAP2K6 was correlated with radioresistance, and the elevated expression of MAP2K6 predicted poor prognosis in NPC patients. MAP2K6 may be a new therapy target for radioresistance of NPC.