title: Response to chemoradiatiotherapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: evaluation of some prognostic factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the predictive values of the expression of factor VIII, CD-34, p53, bcl-2, and DNA ploidy regarding the response to chemoradiation of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of pretreatment biopsies with immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. The results were correlated to tumor response (complete vs. noncomplete) following chemoradiation with three cycles of 5-FU and cisplatin combined with 40-64 Gy of radiation.
  
  
  METHODS
  44 consecutive patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus treated with chemoradiation with a curative intent from 1992-2000.
  
  
  METHODS
  Treatment response.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No correlations were found between the expressions of p53, bcl-2, or DNA ploidy and tumor response to chemoradiation. A positive correlation was found between factor VIII expression and a complete tumor response (p = 0.0357). However the other marker for angiogenesis, CD-34, showed a negative correlation (p = 0.0493). Both markers indicate blood vessel density meaning that, in this study, many vessels indicated a favorable response if measured with factor VIII, but a poor response if measured with CD-34.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is not possible to predict tumor response to our chemoradiation protocol through the analysis of pretreatment expression of p53, bcl-2 or DNA ploidy in biopsy specimens. In spite of significant correlations between complete tumor responses and the expressions of the markers for angiogenesis this significance may be questionable since one of the two markers, factor VIII had a positive and the other,CD-34, a negative correlation to tumor response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden;
authors.forename: Dag
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stockeld
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Falkmer
authors.forename: Sture
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Falkmer
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Backman
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Granström
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fagerberg