The present study retrospectively examined the correlation between the outcome of @entity1 with locally advanced @entity957 (cT3-4 cN0-1 cM0) after multimodal treatment (radiochemotherapy +/- surgical resection) and the parameters proliferative activity, apoptotic index and expression of the nuclear enzyme topoisomerase II alpha (topo II alpha) in pre-therapeutic @entity5 biopsies. Fifty-eight @entity1 who took part in a prospective multicentred trial received radiochemotherapy, optionally followed by surgery. Pre-therapeutic biopsies were immunohistochemically investigated for the extent of proliferation (MIB-I index) and expression of the topo II alpha-enzyme. The apoptotic index was determined by the TUNEL-assay. The three parameters were correlated with @entity5 response to polychemotherapy and with overall survival. Topo II alpha expression was found in all samples with different percentages of positive cells. The proliferation indices ranged between 9% and 97% (median: 43%) while the apoptotic indices ranged between 0.2% and 2.8% (median: 0.5%). Strong expression of topo II alpha (>50% positive @entity5 cells) was positively-correlated with response to polychemotherapy (p=0.016) whereas proliferative activity or apoptotic index showed no impact. None of the three parameters under investigation was predictive of overall survival. Pre-therapeutic determination of topo II alpha expression may predict @entity957 . However, determination of proliferative activity and apoptotic index has no predictive value.

The prognostic significance of proliferative activity, apoptosis and expression of DNA topoisomerase II alpha in multimodally-treated XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity957 :: ('MESH:D002294', 'Disease') :: ['oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma', 'chemosensitivity of oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumour']
@entity957 :: (MESH:D002294,Disease) :: ['oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma']
