Abstract
Background:The majority of anal cancers (84–95%) are driven by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV-positive tumours show significantly better responses to chemo-radiotherapy when compared with HPV-negative tumours. HPV infection is linked to alterations in DNA damage response proteins, including MRE11. MRE11 is a potential predictive biomarker for response to radiotherapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer and may hold predictive power in other cancers.Methods:Using a previously reported cohort, we evaluated the levels of MRE11 in anal cancer and assessed its predictive value in this disease.Results:We found no association between the level of MRE11 and relapse-free survival following chemo-radiotherapy.Conclusions:MRE11 has no predictive value in the analysis of relapse-free survival after chemo-radiotherapy in anal cancer and does not add to the prognostic value of p16 and tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte scores. Further investigation into the role of DNA repair proteins in anal cancer is required.
Highlights
The majority of anal cancers (84–95%) are driven by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV)
Using a previously reported cohort, we evaluated the levels of MRE11 in anal cancer and assessed its predictive value in this disease
We found no association between the level of MRE11 and relapse-free survival following chemo-radiotherapy
Summary
Using a previously reported cohort, we evaluated the levels of MRE11 in anal cancer and assessed its predictive value in this disease. With the appropriate ethical approval (11/LO/1032), clinical details and corresponding tumour blocks were retrieved from patients treated with radical chemo-radiotherapy for nonmetastatic SCCA from 2004 to 2009 as previously described (Gilbert et al, 2013). Immunohistochemistry was conducted on four-micron thick tissue sections using a Leica Bond-max autostainer (Leica Microsystems GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany) with a Bond Polymer Refine Detection kit (DS9800: Leica Microsystems Inc., Newcastle, UK) and assay-specific reagents. Epitope retrieval was conducted with low-pH buffer for 20 min. A protein blocking step with 10% BSA for www.bjcancer.com | DOI:10.1038/bjc.2017.188 Characteristic. Number of individuals (%) Sex Female Male T1 T2 T3 T4 NA. N0 N1 N2 N3 NA p16 (n 1⁄4 82) p16 positive p16 negative p53 (n 1⁄4 82) Strong p53 staining Negative–moderate p53 staining
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