title: Expression of cyclin A in soft tissue sarcomas correlates with tumor aggressiveness.
abstract: Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases regulate the cell cycle. Cyclin A has a dual role in cell proliferation. It is essential in the S phase for DNA replication, and it is also involved in G2-M-phase transition, signifying actively dividing cells. The expression of cyclin A was determined by immunohistochemistry in paraffin sections of 126 soft tissue sarcomas. The median cyclin A score was 10.8% (range, 1-54%). Cyclin A expression correlated with the S-phase fraction, Ki-67 score, G2-M phase, and grade. It did not correlate with the size of the tumor. A high cyclin A score predicted a poor metastasis-free survival (P < 0.01) and a poor disease-specific overall survival (P = 0.01). We concluded that the expression of cyclin A is a powerful prognostic factor in soft tissue sarcoma. Moreover, the cyclin A score determines the fraction of tumor cells in the S phase and the G2 phase, which are the most sensitive cell cycle phases for current modalities of cancer treatment.
authors.affiliation: Helsinki University Central Hospital, Department of Oncology, Finland.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Huuhtanen
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Blomqvist
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Böhling
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Wiklund
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Tukiainen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Virolainen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tribukait
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Andersson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D019925:Cyclin A / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016195:G2 Phase / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011379:Prognosis; D016196:S Phase / Q000502:physiology; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019925:Cyclin A; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen