NUCLEAR FACTOR-κB EXPRESSION AS A NOVEL MARKER OF RADIORESISTANCE IN EARLY-STAGE LARYNGEAL CANCER

Background. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of nuclear factor-kappa 8 (NF-kappa B) expression as a marker of radioresistance in early-stage laryngeal cancer. Methods. Thirty-five patients with local recurrence and 70 case-matched patients without local recurrence were entered in this study. NF-kappa B expression was compared with Bcl-2 and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor expression by immunohistochemistry, using pretreatment biopsy specimens. The prognostic value of NF-kappa B was also evaluated. Twenty-nine recurrent tumors were compared with pretreatment tumors. Results. NF-kappa B expression in pretreatment tumors significantly correlated with local tumor control (p = .01), but bcl-2 and EGF receptor expression did not. Only NF-kappa B expression showed prognostic significance for local tumor control in both univariate and multivariate analyses (p = .008 and .04, respectively). NF-kappa B expression was markedly enhanced in 23 of 29 (80%) recurrent tumors. Conclusion. NF-kappa B expression may be a novel marker of radioresistance in early-stage laryngeal cancer. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 32: 646-655, 2010