Clinical relevance of cyclin B1 overexpression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Cyclin B1 is a key molecule for G2/M phase transition during the cell cycle and is overexpressed in various human tumors. However, the expression status of cyclin B1 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and its clinical significance remain unknown. We used immunohistochemical studies to examine the expression of cyclin B1 in 102 patients with LSCC. The results showed that cyclin B1 overexpression was observed in 40 cases (39.2%) of LSCCs and was significantly correlated with the tumor site (P=0.031), tumor size (P<0.0001), and advanced stage (P=0.003). In addition, cyclin B1 overexpression was associated with patients’ overall survival, but not with disease-free survival using Kaplan–Meier analysis. On multivariate analysis, cyclin B1 expression was not recognized as an independent prognostic factor. These findings indicate that cyclin B1 overexpression may be associated with the malignant biological behavior of LSCC.