Genomic alterations in rectal tumors and response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: an exploratory study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is the treatment of choice in advanced rectal cancer, even though there are many patients who will not benefit from it. There are still no effective methods for predicting which patients will respond or not. The present study aimed to define the genomic profile of rectal tumors and to identify alterations that are predictive of response in order to optimize therapeutic strategies.

Methods

Forty-eight candidates for neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy were recruited and their pretherapy biopsies analyzed by array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH). Pathologic response was evaluated by tumor regression grade.

Results

Both Hidden Markov Model and Smoothing approaches identified similar alterations, with a prevalence of DNA gains.

SUBMITTER: Molinari C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3236016 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature