Relationship of BRCA1 andβ-tubulinⅢmRNA expression with efficacy of taxanes for advanced esophageal carcinoma / 中国肿瘤临床

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the relationship of the mRNA expression of BRCA1 andβ-tubulinⅢwith docetaxel-resistance in esophageal cancer. Methods:The genes BRCA1 andβ-tubulinⅢwere determined at the mRNA level using RT-qPCR in 36 esophageal carcinoma specimens. Results:The mRNA expression of BRCA1 andβ-tubulinⅢwas determined in the 36 tumor samples using RT-qPCR. The median BRCA1 mRNA expression level in relation to that ofβ-actin was 6.27. The medianβ-tubulinⅢmRNA expression level in relation to that ofβ-actin was 4.44. The patients were divided into two groups using these cutoff values. The BRCA1 mRNA expression level was not correlated with the sensitivity of esophageal cancer patients to docetaxel (P=0.733). The response rate of the tumors with highβ-tubulinⅢexpression was (38.9%), which is significantly lower than in patients with lowβ-tubulinⅢexpression (83.3%) (P=0.015). Conclusion:Theβ-tubulinⅢexpression levels in the tumor tissues were probably an important biomarker for the efficacy of docetaxel chemotherapy in esophageal cancer patients. Our study may provide new insights into taxane chemotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer patients.