Background/aim: The aim was to clarify whether DNA repair gene polymorphisms can be used to predict response to cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and docetaxel (TPF) as induction chemotherapy (ICT) in Japanese patients with hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC).
Materials and methods: DNA repair gene polymorphisms (rs3212986, rs1799793, rs13181, and rs25487) were analyzed in 117 HPC patients and 125 control subjects by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Forty-one HPC patients who received TPF-based ICT, followed by surgery or chemoradiotherapy/radiotherapy were analyzed for ICT response, laryngeal preservation, and survival outcome.
Results: ICT responders (29 cases) had significantly better overall survival than ICT non-responders (12 cases; 86.0% vs. 37.0%, respectively, p<0.01 by log-rank test) and better laryngeal preservation rates. The DNA repair gene polymorphisms were not related to ICT response.
Conclusion: ICT is beneficial for chemoselection of HPC patients, but a role for DNA repair gene polymorphisms in ICT response was not confirmed.
Keywords: DNA repair gene; Japanese; hypopharyngeal cancer; overall survival; single nucleotide polymorphism.
Copyright© 2020, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.