title: Expression of the active caspase-3 in children and adolescents with classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
abstract: The aim of the study was to determine whether the expression of active caspase-3 in neoplastic Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (H/RS) cells correlates with the treatment response and provides prognostic information on treatment outcome. In this retrospective study, we included 56 patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma treated at the Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology between January 2000 and June 2005. Active caspase-3 was detected by immunohistochemistry in primary biopsy specimens. Seventeen patients (29.3%) were evaluated as caspase-3 positive and remained alive in the first complete remission. This stood in contrast to patients with less than 5% caspase-3 positive cells, five of whom experienced relapse and three patients died. Adequate treatment response was achieved in 11 patients (19.6%). Comparison of event-free survival with regard to the percentage of caspase-3 positive tumour cells showed a tendency for a better clinical outcome in patients with 5% or more active caspase-3 positive cells.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  classical Hodgkin lymphoma - apoptosis - active caspase-3 - therapy response - clinical outcome.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cepelová
authors.forename: Kateřina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamarádová
authors.forename: Edita
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kabíčková
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Starý
authors.forename: Eliška
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cumlivská
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kodet
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gajdoš
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002648:Child; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3