Runt-related transcription factors regulate many developmental processes such as proliferation and differentiation. In this study, the function of the runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) was investigated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Our results show that RUNX1 expression was elevated in HNSCC patients, which was greatly correlated with the N stage, tumor size, and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage. Cox proportional hazard models showed that RUNX1 could be used as a prognostic indicator for the overall survival of HNSCC patients (hazard ratio, 5.572; 95% confidence interval, 1.860–9.963; P < 0.001). Moreover, suppression of RUNX1 inhibited HNSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Using the HNSCC xenograft nude mouse model, we found that the shRUNX1-transfected tumor (sh-RUNX1) was significantly smaller both in size and weight than the control vector-transfected tumor (sh-Control). In conclusion, our results show that the elevated RUNX1 expression was correlated with tumor growth and metastasis in HNSCC, indicating that RUNX1 could be used as a biomarker for tumor recurrence and prognosis.

矮小的相关转录因子调节许多发育过程，例如增殖和分化。在这项研究中，研究了 runt 相关转录因子 1 (RUNX1) 在头颈部鳞状细胞癌 (HNSCC) 中的功能。我们的研究结果表明，HNSCC 患者的 RUNX1 表达升高，这与 N 分期、肿瘤大小和美国癌症联合委员会分期密切相关。Cox 比例风险模型显示 RUNX1 可用作 HNSCC 患者总生存期的预后指标（风险比，5.572；95% 置信区间，1.860-9.963；P  < 0.001)。此外，RUNX1 的抑制抑制 HNSCC 细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭。使用 HNSCC 异种移植裸鼠模型，我们发现转染 shRUNX1 的肿瘤 (sh-RUNX1) 在大小和重量上都明显小于对照载体转染的肿瘤 (sh-Control)。总之，我们的研究结果表明，RUNX1 表达升高与 HNSCC 中的肿瘤生长和转移相关，表明 RUNX1 可用作肿瘤复发和预后的生物标志物。