bcl-2 expression in head and neck cancer: An enigmatic prognostic marker

Purpose: The role of bcl-2 overexpression in cancer presents a paradox. In some tumor types, it is associated with favorable outcome, whereas In other s the reverse is true. The purpose of this study was to explore the influen ce of bcl-2 in a large series of head and neck cancer patients treated in t he CHART randomized trial. Methods and Materials: Histologic material was obtained from 400 patients; bcl-2 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry as either positive or negative cytoplasmic staining, Results: Positivity of bcl-2 was recorded in 12.8% (9.5-16.5%, 95% confiden ce limits) of tumors. There were significant differences in positive tumors within different sites with nasopharynx showing the highest incidence (46. 2%), A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that bcl-2 was stro ngly associated with histologic dedifferentiation, as well as increasing N stage and female gender. In univariate analyses, bcl-2 positive patients ha d a lower locoregional relapse rate (RR 0.57, p = 0.02) and improved surviv al (RR 0.49, p = 0.004) compared to bcl-2 negative patients; this became mo re significant in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: These data demonstrate that bcl-2 overexpression is a marker of what is considered to be more advanced and aggressive disease yet it is as sociated with a more favorable outcome irrespective of the treatment schedu le. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc.