Increased expression of von Willebrand factor gene is associated with poorer survival in primary lower grade glioma

• Main Authors: Steven Lehrer, Peter H Rheinstein, Kenneth E Rosenzweig
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2018-01-01
• Series: Glioma
• Subjects: Glioblastoma; glioma; survival; von Willebrand factor
• Online Access: http://www.jglioma.com/article.asp?issn=2589-6113;year=2018;volume=1;issue=4;spage=132;epage=135;aulast=Lehrer
• ISSN: 2589-6113; 2589-6121

Background: Venous thromboembolism is a common complication in patients with glioma. The clotting factor von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a highly adhesive procoagulant molecule that mediates platelet adhesion to endothelial and subendothelial surfaces. In the current analysis, we examined The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data to assess the effect of VWF gene expression on prognosis in patients with lower grade gliomas (LGGs). Methods: For newly diagnosed gliomas, we evaluated the association between VWF and overall survival in the genomic data commons TCGA LGG dataset in TCGA. Survival data of the glioma subgroup were extracted for analysis and generation of Kaplan–Meier curves for overall survival. Results: Lower grade gliomas with less VWF gene expression had significantly better survival than those with more VWF gene expression (hazard ratio 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.44–0.92, P = 0.015 log rank test). The effect of VWF gene expression on survival was even more evident when the sample was analyzed as three groups (P = 0.00019). IDH1, TP53, and ATRX mutations are present in 40% or more adult LGGs. Conclusion: The deleterious prognostic effect of VWF expression in LGGs is not surprising, given its role in other cancers. Therefore, VWF gene expression may be a clinically important risk marker in LGG.