Clinical impact of a novel MicroRNA chemo-sensitivity predictor in gastrooesophageal cancer

Abstract

Background miRNAs might be potentially useful biomarkers for prediction of response to chemotherapeutic agents, radiotherapy and survival. The aim of this retrospective study was to validate miRNA response predictors in a cohort of patients with gastrooesophageal cancer in order to predict overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). Material and Methods The study population encompassed 53 patients treated with curative intend for locoregional gastrooesophageal cancer. miRNA expression was quantified from pre-therapeutic and diagnostic, formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tumour specimens using Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 1.0 Array. Based on growth inhibition of the NCI60 panel in the presence of cisplatin, epirubicine and capecitabine, a miRNA based response predictor was developed. The Cox proportional hazards model was applied to assess the correlations of the response predictor with OS and DSS. Results A univariate analysis demonstrated a statistical significant improvement of OS for patients who had undergone surgical resection with prediction scores above the median prediction score (HR: 0.41 (95% CI: 0.17-0.96). Adjusting for surgery and stage, this predictor was identified to be independently associated with both OS (HR: 0.37 (95% CI: 0.16-0.87)) and DSS (HR: 0.32 (0.12-0.87)). Conclusion The miRNA profile predictive for sensitivity to cisplatin, epirubicine and capecitabine was shown to be independently associated with OS and DSS in patients with gastrooesophageal cancer.