Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1alpha Predicts Response to Chemotherapy in Advanced Gastric Cancer

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Researchers from Saga, Japan, have discovered a key indicator of how well patients with advanced gastric cancer respond to chemotherapy. The study, published in Oncology Reports, found that the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) in gastric tumors can predict the effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy. The researchers investigated HIF-1alpha expression in 63 gastric cancer specimens, obtained from 44 patients who received 5-FU chemotherapy post-operatively and 19 patients who did not. The study revealed that patients with a specific pattern of HIF-1alpha expression (FP/N) had longer survival than those with a diffuse-positive expression (DP) in the chemotherapy group.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that HIF-1alpha expression in gastric tumors can predict the response to 5-FU chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer patients.
  • The researchers classified HIF-1alpha expression into three patterns: diffuse-positive within the tumor (DP), positive at the invasive front of the tumor (FP), and negative (N).
  • 36 of 63 patients exhibited DP, 24 revealed FP, and 3 patients were judged as N.
  • Patients with the FP/N pattern showed longer survival than those with the DP pattern in the 44 patients who underwent chemotherapy.
  • The HIF-1alpha expression did not show a significant correlation with clinicopathological factors such as depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and tumor stage in the 63 patients.
  • No significant difference in survival was found between the two patterns among 19 patients without chemotherapy.

Statistics:

  • 63 gastric cancer specimens were investigated for HIF-1alpha expression.
  • 44 patients received 5-FU chemotherapy, and 19 patients did not.
  • 36 patients (57.1%) exhibited DP, 24 patients (38.1%) revealed FP, and 3 patients (4.8%) were judged as N.
  • Patients with the FP/N pattern showed a median survival time of 17.6 months, whereas those with the DP pattern showed a median survival time of 10.2 months.
  • The study found a significant correlation between HIF-1alpha expression and chemotherapy response in the 44 patients who received 5-FU chemotherapy (P = 0.01).

Sources:

  • Nakamura, J., et al. (2009). Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha expression predicts the response to 5-fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer. Oncology Reports, 22(4), 693-699.
  • Gastric Cancer Therapy.
  • Saga University Faculty of Medicine, Dept. of Surgery, Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan.
  • S. Karger AG, Allschwilerstrasse 10, CH-4009 Basel, Switzerland.