CDH2 expression is of prognostic significance in glioma and predicts the efficacy of temozolomide therapy in patients with glioblastoma

Glioma is the most common and malignant primary brain cancer in adults. Radical surgical excision accompanied by radiotherapy and chemotherapy is the prevailing standard therapy for patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Cadherin 2 (CDH2) encodes the N-cadherin protein, a classical cadherin and a member of the cadherin superfamily, which sustains the integrity of the cell and is involved in several cell signal transduction pathways. In the present study, the association between CDH2 expression and clinical features was investigated based on the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), the Rembrandt datasets and The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets (TCGA). Medical statistical methods, including Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression model were used. The expression of CDH2 was identified to be strongly associated with glioma World Health Organization grade in the CGGA and Rembrandt datasets. Patients with low CDH2 expression had an improved prognosis and benefited from temozolomide therapy. In conclusion, these findings revealed that CDH2 may serve as a prognostic and predictive molecular biomarker for the grading and treatment of glioma.