Prognostic and predictive value of baseline and posttreatment molecular marker expression in locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy

PURPOSE: To evaluate expression of a panel of molecular markers, including p53, p21, MLH1, MSH2, MIB-1, thymidylate synthase, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and tissue vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), before and after treatment in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer, to correlate the constitutive profile and dynamics of expression with pathologic response and outcome. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Expression of biomarkers was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in tumor samples from 91 patients with clinical Stage II and III rectal cancer treated with preoperative pelvic radiotherapy (50 Gy) plus concurrent 5-fluorouracil by continuous intravenous infusion. RESULTS: A pathologic complete remission was observed in 14 patients (15.4%). Patients with MLH1-positive tumors had a higher pathologic complete response rate (24.3% vs. 9.4%; p = 0.055). Low expression of constitutive p21, absence of EGFR expression after chemoradiotherapy, and high Dworak's tumor regression grade (TRG) were significantly associated with improved disease-free survival and overall survival. A high MIB-1 value after chemoradiotherapy was significantly associated with worse overall survival. Multivariate analysis confirmed the prognostic value of constitutive p21 expression as well as EGFR expression and MIB-1 value after chemoradiotherapy among patients not achieving TRG 3-4. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we observed the independent prognostic value of EGFR expression after chemoradiotherapy on disease-free survival. Moreover, our study suggests that a constitutive high p21 expression and a high MIB-1 value after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy treatment could predict worse outcome in locally advanced rectal cancer.