Korean J Gynecol Oncol.  2006 Mar;17(1):33-38.

Increased expression of pAKT is associated with radiation resistance in cervical cancer

• Kim TJ
• Lee JW
• Song SY
• Choi JJ
• Choi CH
• Kim BG
• Lee JH
• Bae DS

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the association of phosphorylated AKT (pAKT) expression and radiation resistance in cervical cancer.
METHODS
A retrospective review was made of the records of 25 women who received primary radiation therapy due to locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) with FIGO stage IIB-IVA. Nine patients regarded as radiation resistant developed local recurrences with a median progression free interval of 10 months. Sixteen patients did not show local recurrences, and were regarded as a radiation sensitive group. Using pretreatment paraffin-embedded tissues, we evaluated pAKT expression by immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS
A significant association was found between the level of pAKT expression and local recurrence. Immunohistochemical staining for pAKT was significantly more frequent in the radiation resistant than in the radiation sensitive group (p=0.007). The mean progression free survival (PFS) was 84 months for patients with pAKT negative staining (17 cases) and 44 months for patients with pAKT positive expression (8 cases)(p=0.015).
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that signaling from PI3K/pAKT can lead to radiation resistance in LACC.

Keyword

Cervical neoplasms; Radiation resistance; Local recurrence; pAKT; Immunohistochemistry

MeSH Terms

Disease-Free Survival
Female
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Negative Staining
Recurrence
Retrospective Studies
Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*