Abstract

Background: The heparan sulfate proteoglycan, syndecan-1 (also known as CD138), is associated with cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration in various types of human malignancies. The role of syndecan-1 in soft tissue tumors is unknown; therefore we examined whether syndecan-1 plays a role in human liposarcoma.

Materials and Methods: We performed immunohistochemical analyses of syndecan-1 in 42 liposarcoma cases, including 21 myxoid liposarcoma cases. Recurrence-free survival was estimated by the Kaplan–Meire method. We examined the association between apoptosis and syndecan-1 gene silencing in a human liposarcoma cell line.

Results: The proportion of syndecan-1 positive cells (?10%) was significantly associated with unfavorable recurrence-free survival in myxoid liposarcoma patients. There were no significant associations between syndecan-1 expression and prognosis in the other subtypes of liposarcoma. Knockdown of syndecan-1 induced apoptosis and suppression of cell growth in vitro.

Conclusion: Syndecan-1 could be a novel prognostic factor for myxoid liposarcoma recurrence and a new therapeutic target for human myxoid liposarcoma.

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