BRCA1 mRNA Expression as a Predictive and Prognostic Marker in Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated with Cisplatin- or Docetaxel-Based Chemotherapy/Chemoradiotherapy

BACKGROUND: The molecular backgrounds that determine therapeutic effectiveness in esophageal cancer remain largely unknown. Breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) expression has been found to switch the response to cisplatin- or paclitaxel-based chemotherapy. It remains unclear how variations in BRCA1 expression influence clinical outcomes in esophageal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to examine BRCA1 mRNA expressions in paraffin-embedded specimens from 144 patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received cisplatin- or docetaxel-based first-line treatments. RESULTS: Low BRCA1 mRNA expression correlated with increased response rate (RR; P = 0.025 and 0.017, respectively) and median overall survival (mOS; P = 0.002 and P<0.001, respectively) in cisplatin-based chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy group and also correlated with decreased RR (P = 0.017 and 0.024, respectively) and mOS (both P<0.001) in docetaxel-based chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy group. Multivariate analysis revealed that low BRCA1 expression was an independent prognostic factor in cisplatin-based chemotherapy (HR 0.29; 95%CI 0.12–0.71; P = 0.007) or chemoradiotherapy (HR 0.12; 95%CI 0.04–0.37; P<0.001) group and higher risk for mortality in docetaxel-based chemotherapy (HR 5.02; 95%CI 2.05–12.28; P<0.001) or chemoradiotherapy (HR 7.02; 95%CI 2.37–27.77; P<0.001) group. CONCLUSIONS: BRCA1 mRNA expression could be used as a predictive and prognostic marker in esophageal cancer who underwent first-line cisplatin- or docetaxel-based treatments.