Decreased Expression of SETD2 Predicts Unfavorable Prognosis in Patients With Nonmetastatic Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

DNA sequencing revealed that mutations in SETD2 occur in 3% to 12% of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cases and are associated with poor clinical outcome. In this study, we used an immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay to evaluate the impact of SETD2 loss, with expression of H3K36me3, a nonredundantly histone modification by SETD2, on recurrence and survival of nonmetastatic ccRCC patients after nephrectomy. SETD2 and H3K36me3 were assessed in 192 nonmetastatic ccRCC patients enrolled retrospectively from a single institution. Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analysis were used to associate prespecified SETD2/H3K36me3 score with overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). And a nomogram was constructed to predict OS at 10 years. Patients with low expression of SETD2 were prone to possess large tumor size and advanced pT stage. And low H3K36me3 expression was associated with larger tumor size. A prespecified combined score based on SETD2 and H3K36me3 expression remained an independent prognosticator for OS and RFS, which was associated with tumor size, pT stage, and sarcomatoid. Furthermore, using prespecified SETD2/H3K36me3 score could stratify nonmetastatic ccRCC patients into different risk subgroups, especially in patients dichotomized by pT stage and Fuhrman grade, respectively. Finally, the C-index for predicting OS increased from 0.727 to 0.747, after adding SETD2/H3K36me3 score to pT stage and Fuhrman grade. The combined score based on expression of SETD2 and H3K36me3 using IHC could predict poor clinical outcomes in nonmetastatic ccRCC patients, and it may benefit preoperative risk stratification and guide treatment planning in the future.