ArticleBMC medical genomics2026
Discovery and validation of a prognostic SPP1/PLAU signature in HPV-negative oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Article in BMC medical genomics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThis study aimed to identify and validate robust prognostic biomarkers for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), with a specific focus on the high-risk HPV-negative subtype.
methodsIntegrated bioinformatics analysis was performed on transcriptomic data from four GEO datasets (n = 418 samples). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed for the most dysregulated genes. Key modules were analyzed via survival analysis and multivariate Cox regression. The top candidate genes were validated at the protein level using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in an independent cohort of 304 OPSCC patients.
resultsA 33-gene module related to extracellular matrix organization showed significant prognostic association. It stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups with markedly different overall survival (HR = 2.71, p < 0.001). From this module, SPP1 and PLAU were identified as independent prognostic factors through multi-step screening. Both genes were significantly overexpressed in tumors (approximately 20-fold and 10-fold, respectively, p < 0.001), with high expression strongly correlated with advanced tumor stage (p < 0.01) and, notably, the HPV-negative subtype (p < 0.001). In survival analysis, high expression of either SPP1 or PLAU was associated with poorer overall survival (SPP1: p < 0.001; PLAU: p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (p < 0.001). IHC validation confirmed high protein expression in 69.7% (SPP1) and 54.8% (PLAU) of cancer tissues. A prognostic nomogram integrating the SPP1/PLAU signature with clinical variables was constructed with strong predictive accuracy (C-index = 0.75).
conclusionThe SPP1/PLAU dual-gene signature is a robust and independent prognostic biomarker for OPSCC, with particular clinical utility for stratifying high-risk HPV-negative patients.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42304187What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.