title: A high proliferation rate measured by cyclin A predicts a favourable chemotherapy response in soft tissue sarcoma patients.
abstract: A small but not insignificant number of patients experience a prolonged survival after treatment of metastatic soft tissue sarcoma. This must be weighed against the majority of the patients who benefit little from the therapy, but nevertheless experience its side-effects. It would therefore be of utmost importance to be able to screen for those patients who respond to the treatment. Since proliferating cells are more sensitive to chemotherapy than non-proliferative cells, we measured the proliferation rate of the primary tumour of 55 soft tissue sarcoma patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease by determining the flow cytometric S phase fraction and immunohistochemical Ki-67 and cyclin A scores. S phase fraction or Ki-67 score did not predict chemotherapy response or progression-free survival. A high cyclin A score, however, correlated with a better chemotherapy response (P = 0.02) and longer progression-free survival time (P = 0.04). Our results suggest that a high cyclin A score predicts chemotherapy sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Helsinki University Central Hospital, Department of Oncology, Finland.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Huuhtanen
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Wiklund
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Blomqvist
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Böhling
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
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; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002455:Cell Division; D019925:Cyclin A / Q000032:analysis*; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018450:Disease Progression; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007069:Ifosfamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D015080:Mesna / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019925:Cyclin A; D014750:Vincristine; D003606:Dacarbazine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D015080:Mesna; D007069:Ifosfamide