DHX37 protein and mRNA expression patterns in breast and ovarian cancer and their prognostic implications

Abstract

DEAH-box RNA helicase 37 (DHX37) is a highly conserved RNA helicase involved in ribosome biogenesis, RNA metabolism and immune regulation. Dysregulation of RNA helicases has been implicated in tumourigenesis; however, the clinical significance of DHX37 expression in tumours is still emerging and requires further study. This study investigated the expression of DHX37 in large breast and ovarian cancer patient cohorts using immunohistochemistry in 1512 breast and 420 ovarian cancer cases and complementary transcriptomic datasets. In breast cancer, low cytoplasmic DHX37 protein expression was significantly associated with adverse clinicopathological parameters including larger tumour size, higher grade, lymphovascular invasion and positive nodal status (all P < 0.001). Low DHX37 expression was associated with poor breast cancer-specific survival ( P < 0.001), particularly among oestrogen receptor-positive patients. In ovarian cancer, low DHX37 expression was associated with lower FIGO stage, absence of residual disease and improved overall survival ( P = 0.013). DHX37 shows contrasting prognostic associations in breast and ovarian cancer, suggesting context-dependent biological functions. Reduced DHX37 expression may promote tumour progression in ER-positive breast cancer, but is associated with favourable outcomes in ovarian cancer. These findings highlight DHX37 as a potential prognostic biomarker and underscore the need for functional studies to elucidate its mechanistic role in tumour biology and immune modulation.

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