title: Expression of class III beta tubulin in cervical cancer patients administered preoperative radiochemotherapy: correlation with response to treatment and clinical outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alterations of the beta subunit of tubulin have been reported to be predictive of resistance to radiation and antitubulin agents in several solid tumors. The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical role of beta III tubulin expression as prognostic factor for survival and as a predictive parameter of response to preoperative radiochemotherapy in a single institutional series of locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 98 LACC patients admitted to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit, Catholic University of Rome and Campobasso between January 1998 and January 2005. Immunohistochemistry was performed by using the polyclonal rabbit anti-beta III tubulin antibody (Covance, Princeton, NJ, USA). The value of 10% immunostained tumor cells was arbitrarily chosen as cut-off value to distinguish cases with high versus low beta III tubulin content.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the whole series, beta III tubulin immunoreaction was detectable in 66/98 cases (67.3%), and the percentage of positively stained cells ranged from 0 to 100% (median=10%). The percentages of cases with high beta III tubulin expression were shown not to be differently distributed according to clinico-pathological characteristics. There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of cases with high beta III tubulin expression according to clinical and pathological response to treatment. During the follow-up period, recurrence and death of disease occurred in 15 and 13 cases, respectively. There was no difference in disease-free and overall survival in cases with high versus low beta III tubulin expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The assessment of class III beta tubulin status seems of little usefulness in order to identify LACC patients with poor chance of response to concomitant radiochemotherapy and unfavorable prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Gynecologic Oncology Unit, Catholic University, Rome, Italy. gabriella.ferrandina@libero.it
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrandina
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Gian Franco
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Zannoni
authors.forename: Mariagrazia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Distefano
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paglia
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferlini
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scambia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011300:Preoperative Care; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014404:Tubulin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C498585:TUBB3 protein, human; D014404:Tubulin; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil