Background: Current prognostic molecular markers for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are insufficient. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of Sox11 in EOC.
Methods: Using an in silico transcriptomic screen, Sox11 was identified as a potential EOC biomarker. Sox11 protein expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 76 EOC cases, which were analysed using automated algorithms to develop a quantitative scoring model.
Results: Sox11 mRNA expression was upregulated in EOC compared to normal tissues. Automated analysis of Sox11 in the EOC cohort revealed high expression of Sox11, in 40% of tumours, who had an improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) (p=0.002). Multivariate analysis confirmed that Sox11 was an independent predictor of improved RFS after controlling for stage and grade.
Conclusions: These data suggest that Sox11 is a new prognostic marker in EOC. Loss of Sox11 is associated with a decreased RFS and a more aggressive phenotype.