Overexpression of FRMD5 associated with worse prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Background Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide with high morbidity and mortality. Identifying potential biomarkers for prognosis is important to improve clinical outcomes. FRMD5 , a gene encoding a 570-amino-acid protein with a FERM domain, plays a role in maintaining cell-cell adhesion at adherens junctions. Its expression is regulated by mutant p53R273H, a variant often found in cancers. Objective This study aimed to assess FRMD5 expression in HNSCC and determine its association with patient prognosis. Methods FRMD5 mRNA expression levels were analyzed using transcriptomic data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The UALCAN platform was used to compare FRMD5 levels between tumor and normal tissues, and to observe expression trends across different cancer types. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier plotter, correlating the expression of FRMD5 with overall survival (OS) in HNSCC patients. Statistical significance was evaluated to determine the prognostic value of FRMD5 expression. Results FRMD5 was significantly overexpressed in HNSCC tissues compared to normal tissues. Similar overexpression trends were noted in several other tumor types. Survival analysis revealed that patients with high FRMD5 expression had notably worse overall survival, suggesting that elevated FRMD5 levels are associated with poor clinical outcomes. Conclusion FRMD5 is markedly upregulated in HNSCC and is associated with decreased survival rates, indicating its potential utility as a prognostic biomarker. Further studies are needed to clarify its role in tumor biology and explore its value as a therapeutic target.