Back to Program | 2010 Program and Abstracts Overview | 2010 Posters
The Micro-Rna Profile of Responder and Non-Responder in the Neoadjuvant Therapy of Esophageal Cancer
Daniel Vallbohmer*1, Magarethe Odenthal2, Jan Brabender1, Peter P. Grimminger1, Jessica M. Leers1, Ute Warnecke-Eberz1, Uta Drebber2, Elfriede Bollschweiler1, Arnulf H. HöLscher1, Ralf Metzger1
1Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; 2Institute of Pathology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Background: Neoadjuvant multimodality treatment is frequently applied to improve the poor prognosis associated with locally advanced esophageal cancer. However, only patients with a major histopathologic response to neoadjuvant therapy seem to have a significant survival benefit. Predictive markers to allow individualization of multimodality treatment are highly needed. The aim of this pilot study was to characterize the micro-RNA profile of responder and non-responder in the neoadjuvant therapy of esophageal cancer in order to identify possible predictive markers.Patients and Methods: Eight patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer (cT2-4, Nx, M0) were included in the study. All patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiation (cisplatin, 5-FU, 40 Gy) and subsequently underwent transthoracic en bloc esophagectomy. Histomorphologic regression was defined as major histopathological response when resected specimens contained less than 10% vital residual tumor cells (major response: 4 patients; minor response: 4 patients). Intratumoral microRNA was isolated from pretherapeutic tissue biopsies and corresponding surgical specimens. The profile of 384 microRNAs was analyzed in the 16 specimens by using a TaqMan Human MicroRNA.Results: In the pretherapeutic biopsies a differential microRNA profile was detected depending on the histopathologic response. Fourteen microRNAs were significantly different between patients with our without response. Similar results were detected in the surgical specimens. The expression of 9 microRNAs was significantly different relative to response. Finally, neoadjuvant therapy caused an altered expression level of 129 microRNAs from which 2 were correlated with histopathologic response. Conclusion: This pilot study was able to demonstrate a differential expression profile of microRNAs depending on histopathologic response in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer undergoing multimodality treatment. The identified single microRNAs have to be validated by real-time PCR in a larger prospective trial.
Back to Program | 2010 Program and Abstracts Overview | 2010 Posters
