QUALITY OF LIFE/AFTERCARE

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes are involved in detoxifying chemotherapy agents and clearing reactive oxygen species formed by radiation. In this study, we explored the relationship between the host GSTP1-105 polymorphism (rs1695), tumor GSTpi protein expression, and clinical outcomes in pediatric medulloblastoma. We hypothesized that the GSTP1-105 G-allele and increased tumor GSTpi expression would be associated with lower progression-free survival and fewer adverse events. METHODS: The study included 106 medulloblastoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) patients seen at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. Genotyping was performed using an Illumina HumanOmni1-Quad BeadChip and tumor GSTpi expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry. We used the Kaplan-Meier method for survival analyses and multivariable logistic regression for toxicity comparisons. RESULTS: Patients with a GSTP1-105 AG/GG genotype or who had received a higher dose of craniospinal radiation (median 36 Gy) had a greater risk of requiring hearing aids than their respective counterparts (OR 4.0, 95%CI 1.2 - 13.6, and OR 3.1, 95%CI 1.1 - 8.8, respectively). Additionally, there was a statistically significant interaction between the two variables. Compared with the lowest risk group (GSTP1-105 AA-lower dose radiation) patients with a GSTP1-105 AG/GG genotype who received a higher dose radiation were 8.4 times more likely to require hearing aids (95%CI 1.4 - 49.9, p-trend ¼ 0.005). When adjusted for age, gender, and amifostine use, the association remained. CONCLUSIONS: The GSTP1-105 G-allele is associated with permanent ototoxicity in pediatric medulloblastoma/PNET and strongly interacts with radiation dose. A possible mechanism for this finding is that the GSTP1-105 G-allele leads to reduced GSTpi free radical detoxification in the setting of multimodality therapy including cisplatin and radiation. Patients with this allele should be considered for clinical trials employing radiation dose modifications and more targeted cytoprotectant strategies than are currently being used with amifostine.