Abstract:
Objective This work aims to investigate the changes in ezrin expression after preoperative chemotherapy and to analyze the prognostic value of ezrin in patients with primary osteosarcoma.
Methods The mRNA expression levels of ezrin in prechemotherapy primary biopsy specimens and postchemotherapy surgical specimens in 25 patients with primary osteosarcoma were determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the changes in ezrin expression. Related prognostic factors, as well as the relationship between clinical characteristics and changes in ezrin expression, were analyzed.
Results Decreased ezrin expression was observed in 16 patients (64%), whereas no change in ezrin expression was identified in 6 patients (36%). The changes in ezrin expression have close correlations with histology (P=0.037), grading (P=0.006), chemotherapeutic response (P=0.017), and metastasis or recurrence (P=0.041). Two-year overall survival and event-free survival rates are associated with changes in ezrin expression (P= 0.001 and P=0.002, respectively) and with responses to preoperative chemotherapy (P=0.001 and P=0.012, respectively). Multivariate analysis denotes ezrin as an independent prognostic factor for event-free survival in non-metastatic osteosarcoma (P=0.014).
Conclusions A close relationship exists between ezrin expression and prognosis of osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma patients can be categorized into high- and low-risk groups on the basis of the potential metastasis and recurrence of the disease, thereby providing proper homologous treatments to osteosarcoma patients.
下载: