Prognostic and clinical significance of Solute Carrier Family 7 Member 1 in ovarian cancer

BACKGROUND: Members of the solute carrier (SLC)7 family are known to play important roles in tumorigenesis and development. However, the prognostic significance of the SLC7 family in ovarian cancer (OC) remains unknown. METHODS: Expression patterns of SLC7 family members in OC were analyzed using gene expression profiling interactive analysis (GEPIA). The Kaplan-Meier plotter was applied to evaluate associations of the SLC7 gene family with prognosis of OC. SLC7A1 expression was additionally analyzed via immunohistochemical staining. χ(2), Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between SLC7A1 expression and clinicopathological features, platinum resistance and prognosis in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). RESULTS: The GEPIA dataset revealed the abundant expression of SLC7A1, SLC7A4, and SLC7A7, and conversely, the low expression of SLC7A2 and SLC7A8 in OC relative to normal tissue samples. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis further indicated that high SLC7A1 and low SLC7A2 mRNA levels were significantly associated with overall survival (P<0.05). Positive SLC7A1 expression was detected in 65 (58.1%) HGSOC tissue samples, but not in all normal ovarian tissue samples (100%), indicating that the expression of SLC7A1 in HGSOC tissues was significantly higher than that in normal ovarian tissues (P<0.001). Additionally, expression of SLC7A1 was negatively associated with relapse-free survival (RFS; P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SLC7A1 is a potential prognostic biomarker of OC.