SOX2 activation predicts prognosis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

SOX2 copy number and mRNA expression were analysed to examine the clinical significance of SOX2 activation in HNSCC. Gene expression signatures reflecting SOX2 activation were identified in an HNSCC cohort. Patients with HNSCC were classified into two subgroups according to the gene expression signature: SOX2-high and SOX2-low. The clinical significance of SOX2 activation was further validated in two independent cohorts. Moreover, clinical significance of SOX2 activation in response to radiotherapy was assessed in patients with HNSCC. The relationship between SOX2 activation and radiotherapy was validated in an in vitro experiment. Patients in the SOX2-high subgroup had a better prognosis than patients in the SOX2-low subgroup in all three patient cohorts. Results of multivariate regression analysis showed that SOX2 signature was an independent predictor of the overall survival of patients with HNSCC (hazard ratio, 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–1.92; P = 0.01). Interestingly, SOX2 activation was a predictor of therapy outcomes in patients receiving radiotherapy. Moreover, SOX2 overexpression enhanced the effect of radiotherapy in HNSCC cell lines. SOX2 activation is associated with improved prognosis of patients with HNSCC and might be used to predict which patients might benefit from radiotherapy.