C-myc oncoprotein expression and prognosis in patients with carcinoma of the cervix: an immunohistochemical study.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of the prognostic significance of c-Myc expression in carcinoma of the cervix.


METHODS
132 patients with carcinoma of the cervix presenting at the Cancer Institute in Chennai from 1996-1999 were included in the study. All the cases were treated with a radical course of radiotherapy and had a median follow-up of 36 months. Paraffin blocks obtained from the punch biopsies from the tumours were used for immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
c-Myc nuclear immunoreactivity was observed in 44/132 (33.3%) of tumours. Patients with tumours in Stages 11 B and III B accounted for 112/132 (84.8%) of the cases. Patients with tumours expressing c-Myc nuclear immunoreactivity were found to have more advanced disease; less likely to achieve complete remission (54.5% vs. 78.4%; p < 0.005) and lower disease-free status (52.3% versus 73.8%; p < 0.014). The poor prognostic feature of c-Myc nuclear immunoreactivity was seen in both stage II B (52.9% vs. 76.3%) and stage III B (38.1% vs. 69.4%; p < 0.025).


CONCLUSIONS
c-Myc nuclear immunoreactivity is a predictor of poorer response to radiotherapy and poorer disease free status in stage II B and III B carcinoma of the cervix.
Vijayalakshmi
N
N
Dept. of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute (WIA), Chennai, India.
Selvaluxmi
G
G
Mahji
U
U
Rajkumar
T
T
D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011379:Prognosis; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D015996:Survival Rate; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy
D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc