Figure 2.

High MK2 phosphorylation is a poor prognostic factor in HNSCC. A, Using an annotated oropharyngeal HNSCC tissue microarray, we queried whether HNSCC patients with Stage III, IV disease and high versus low p-MK2 levels impacted disease specific survival. Kaplan-Meier disease-specific survival curves were generated between p16+ [p-MK2 low (n = 33) versus MK2 high n = 29)] and p16− [p-MK2 low (n = 23) versus MK2 high (n = 26)] patients. Unlike the p16+ patients, the p16− patients demonstrated a significant survival difference between high versus low p-MK2 levels, p = 0.034. B, All tissue microarray slides were scanned at the highest digital resolution (40x) using the Aperio Imaging platform. Digitized slides were then imported into the HALO analysis system where a blinded pathologist and researcher helped to train the software program to differentiate between staining intensity (0+, 1+, 2+ and 3+) and tumor stroma versus the tumor itself. Representative p-MK2 immunohistochemistry and the respective HALO analyses was performed on p16− and p16+ samples. Representative samples here were further stratified between low versus high p-MK2 levels. Blue = 0+, yellow = 1+, orange = 1+; red = 3+. Slides were digitally rescaled from the 40x to 10x resolution. White bar denotes 100 μm size.