title: Prognostic significance of Livin expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to investigate the expression levels of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein Livin in nasopharyngeal cancer tissues and its prognostic significance in nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 83 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who received radiotherapy were enrolled in this study from January 2008 to October 2010. Livin expression in nasopharynx pathological specimens extracted from patients was detected by immunohistochemistry. A Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted to explore the effects of clinicopathological features and Livin expression on the overall survival and progression-free survival of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and explore its prognosis relevance after radiotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 83 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the overall Livin positive expression rate was 65.1% (54 patients), and the overall response rate of radiotherapy was 81.9% (68 patients). Significant differences in radiotherapy efficacy were found between patients who did not express Livin and those who did (P<0.05). The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that Livin expression, high clinical staging, cervical lymph node metastasis, high T-staging and high N-staging were significantly correlated with a decrease in the overall survival of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (all P<0.05). A Cox multivariate survival analysis showed that Livin expression, clinical staging and N-staging were independent risk factors for the overall survival of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with radiation (all P<0.05). Furthermore, Livin expression and clinical staging were independent risk factors for the progression-free survival of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma once radiotherapy was introduced (all P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expression of Livin, an inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, may be closely linked with poor prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma post-radiotherapy and hence it may be a new therapeutic target in the treatment of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Fifth Hospital in Wuhan, 122, Xianzheng Road, Hanyang District, 430000 Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: A-H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Fifth Hospital in Wuhan, 122, Xianzheng Road, Hanyang District, 430000 Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Electronic address: oncologyhab@163.com.
authors.forename: A-B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Fifth Hospital in Wuhan, 122, Xianzheng Road, Hanyang District, 430000 Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: W-X
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Fifth Hospital in Wuhan, 122, Xianzheng Road, Hanyang District, 430000 Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: X-L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Fifth Hospital in Wuhan, 122, Xianzheng Road, Hanyang District, 430000 Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Fifth Hospital in Wuhan, 122, Xianzheng Road, Hanyang District, 430000 Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Fifth Hospital in Wuhan, 122, Xianzheng Road, Hanyang District, 430000 Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: X-G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Fifth Hospital in Wuhan, 122, Xianzheng Road, Hanyang District, 430000 Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: H-L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; C419866:BIRC7 protein, human; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins
keywords: Cancer du nasopharynx; Expression des protéines; Immunohistochemistry; Immunohistochimie; Inhibiteurs de protéines de l’apoptose; Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins; Kaplan-Meier method; Livin; Méthode de Kaplan-Meier; Nasopharyngeal cancer; Prognosis; Pronostic; Protein expression; Radiotherapy; Radiothérapie