Predictive value of Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression for chemotherapeutic effect in gastric cancer. A pilot study.
We investigated tissue staining for Bcl-2 and Bax proteins, which regulate apoptosis, as indicators of chemotherapeutic effect in patients with gastric cancer. In 23 patients with gastric carcinoma biopsy specimens were obtained endoscopically prior to chemotherapy and stained immunohistochemically with anti-Bcl-2 and anti-Bax antibodies. Patients then were treated with continuous infusion of 5-FU and cisplatin. No correlation was seen between chemotherapeutic effect and Bcl-2 or Bax alone. However, among the Bax-positive cases, the patients with Bcl-2-positive tumors were significantly more chemoresistant (p = 0.036) and had worse prognoses (p = 0.008) than Bcl-2-negative cases. Therefore, immunohistochemical staining for Bcl-2 protein may predict chemotherapeutic efficacy or guide specific therapeutic choices in treating Bax-positive tumors.
First Department of Surgery, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan.
B
B
Nakata
K
K
Muguruma
K
K
Hirakawa
Y S
YS
Chung
Y
Y
Yamashita
T
T
Inoue
T
T
Matsuoka
N
N
Onoda
Y
Y
Kato
M
M
Sowa
D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
C494826:BAX protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil