Open Access

ARTICLE

MYO18A Expression is a Prognostic Factor for Progression-Free Survival in Grade 4 Adult gliomas. Preliminary Report

Aleksander Strąk¹, Ludmiła Grzybowska-Szatkowska^1,*, Paweł Cisek¹, Marta Ostrowska-Leśko², Jarosław Dudka², Joanna Kubik³, Jacek Osuchowski⁴, Paweł Szmygin⁴, Bożena Jarosz⁴, Andrzej Krajka⁵, Tomasz Krajka⁶, Kazimierz Szatkowski⁷, Brygida Ślaska⁸

1 Department of Radiotherapy, Medical University of Lublin, Radziwiłłowska 13, Lublin, Poland
2 Chair and Department of Toxicology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8B, Lublin, Poland
3 Independent Medical Biology Unit, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8B, Lublin, Poland
4 Chair and Department of Neurosurgery and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8B, Lublin, Poland
5 Institute of Computer Science, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland
6 Division of Mathematics, Department of Production Computerisation and Robotisation, Mechanical Engineering Faculty, Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 36, Lublin, Poland
7 Faculty of Management, Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 38D, Lublin, Poland
8 Institute of Biological Bases of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, Lublin, Poland

* Corresponding Author: Ludmiła Grzybowska-Szatkowska. Email:

Oncology Research 2026, 34(5), 22 https://doi.org/10.32604/or.2026.074078

Received 01 October 2025; Accepted 11 February 2026; Issue published 22 April 2026

Abstract

Objectives: Brain gliomas are among the tumors with the worst prognosis, and their incidence is increasing. Postoperative temozolomide-based chemoradiotherapy for grades 3 and 4 gliomas extended overall survival (OS) by approximately two months. An increasing number of clinical trials are investigating molecular-based therapy. Recent studies have demonstrated the involvement of Golgi apparatus proteins, including MYO18A (myosin-18A), in processes associated with abnormal proliferation, migration, apoptosis evasion, and angiogenesis promotion. The aim of this study was to investigate whether MYO18A has prognostic value in patients treated for brain gliomas. Methods: The research material in the work included tumor samples taken during neurosurgery and blood samples from 45 patients treated for brain gliomas with grade of 1 to 4 according to WHO, which were used to determine the expression of MYO18A mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid). Expression of MYO18A was presented as fold changes in RQ (relative quantification) mRNA levels. Results: This study showed higher MYO18A values in patients diagnosed with grade G4 glioma among those with a shorter progression-free survival (PFS) time and those living shorter than the group average. However, statistically significant differences were achieved only for PFS for the MYO18A RQ feature (PFS = 4.64, SD = 2.16 vs. PFS = 15.83 and SD = 7.27, p = 0.0231). Also, a positive correlation was demonstrated between tumor volume and MYO18A expression. Conclusion: The level of expression of MYO18A can be considered a prognostic factor for PFS in patients treated for G4 gliomas, because higher MYO18A expression was associated with earlier recurrence.

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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