C-myc oncoprotein expression and prognosis in patients with carcinoma of the cervix: an immunohistochemical study

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the prognostic significance of c-Myc expression in carcinoma of the cervix. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 132 patients with carcinoma of the cervix presenting at the Cancer Institute in Chennai from 1996-1999 were included in the study. All the cases were treated with a radical course of radiotherapy and had a median follow-up of 36 months. Paraffin blocks obtained from the punch biopsies from the tumours were used for immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: c-Myc nuclear immunoreactivity was observed in 44/132 (33.3%) of tumours. Patients with tumours in Stages 11 B and III B accounted for 112/132 (84.8%) of the cases. Patients with tumours expressing c-Myc nuclear immunoreactivity were found to have more advanced disease; less likely to achieve complete remission (54.5% vs. 78.4%; p < 0.005) and lower disease-free status (52.3% versus 73.8%; p < 0.014). The poor prognostic feature of c-Myc nuclear immunoreactivity was seen in both stage II B (52.9% vs. 76.3%) and stage III B (38.1% vs. 69.4%; p < 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: c-Myc nuclear immunoreactivity is a predictor of poorer response to radiotherapy and poorer disease free status in stage II B and III B carcinoma of the cervix.