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 B (NF-kappaB) 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-kappaB expression was compared with Bcl-2 and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor expression by immunohistochemistry, using pretreatment biopsy specimens. The prognostic value of NF-kappaB was also evaluated. Twenty-nine recurrent tumors were compared with pretreatment tumors. RESULTS: NF-kappaB expression in pretreatment tumors significantly correlated with local tumor control (p = .01), but bcl-2 and EGF receptor expression did not. Only NF-kappaB expression showed prognostic significance for local tumor control in both univariate and multivariate analyses (p = .008 and .04, respectively). NF-kappaB expression was markedly enhanced in 23 of 29 (80%) recurrent tumors. CONCLUSION: NF-kappaB expression may be a novel marker of radioresistance in early-stage laryngeal cancer.