Bax Predicts Outcome in Gastric Cancer Patients Treated with 5-fluorouracil, Leucovorin, and Oxaliplatin Palliative Chemotherapy

• DOI: 10.1007/s10620-010-1280-8
• Publication Date: 2010-05-25T21:19:57Z
• Authors: Seong Hyun Jeong; Jae Ho Han; Jang Hee Kim; Mi Sun Ahn; Yoon Ho Hwang; Hyun Woo Lee; Seok Yun Kang; Joon Seong Park; Jin-Hyuk Choi; Kwang Jae Lee; Seung Soo Sheen; Ho-Yeong Lim
• Keywords: Adult; Male; 0301 basic medicine; Organoplatinum Compounds; Biopsy; Stomach; Leucovorin; Middle Aged; Endonucleases; Prognosis; 3. Good health; DNA-Binding Proteins; 03 medical and health sciences; Gastric Mucosa; Predictive Value of Tests; Stomach Neoplasms; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Biomarkers, Tumor; Humans; Female; Fluorouracil; Aged; Retrospective Studies

Platinum and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based regimens have been used the most frequently in palliative chemotherapy for gastric cancer. The present study evaluated the prognostic significance of Bax, excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1), and thymidylate synthase (TS) in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with 5-FU, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) palliative chemotherapy.Seventy-two patients with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer were treated with FOLFOX regimen. Pretreatment tumor biopsy specimens were analyzed for Bax, ERCC1, and TS expression by immunohistochemistry.High expression of Bax, ERCC1, and TS was observed in 31 (43%), 33 (46%), and 35 (49%) patients, respectively. The median overall survival (OS) of patients was 12 months. Low expression of Bax was associated with poor OS (median, 9 months vs. 18 months; 2-year, 10% vs. 48%; p=0.0005) in univariate analysis, while expression of ERCC1 and TS was not correlated with patient outcome. In multivariate analysis, low expression of Bax was a significant independent predictor of poor OS (p=0.028). Low expression of Bax was significantly associated with poor survival of patients with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer treated with FOLFOX chemotherapy.Immunohistochemical staining for Bax with pretreatment biopsy specimen may be useful in selecting FOLFOX regimen as a treatment option for advanced gastric cancer patients.