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Role of BAX for outcome prediction in gastrointestinal malignancies

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Abstract

Our group and numerous others have shown in both preclinical and clinical studies that the proapoptotic mediator BAX may be deregulated through gene mutation or loss of protein expression, affecting resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy in several cancer types. However, BAX is also involved in cancer development and may related to prognosis, independently of treatment outcome. The clinical impact of BAX status in gastrointestinal malignancies remains controversial, although it is generally hypothesized that high expression may be a positive prognostic factor and predict increased efficacy of chemotherapy (with particular regard to platinum derivatives). The present review aims to provide updated information on BAX as potential prognostic and/or predictive biomarker in gastroesophageal and colorectal cancers, as well as in other less studied gastrointestinal malignancies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Oncology Unit 1, Medical Oncology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Venezian, 1, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Filippo Pietrantonio, Pamela Biondani, Giuseppe Fanetti, Anna Tessari, Ilaria Bossi, Maria Di Bartolomeo & Filippo de Braud

  2. Radiation Oncology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Venezian, 1, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Elisa Ciurlia & Francesca Valvo

  3. Statistics and Biometry Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Venezian, 1, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Gaia Bertarelli

  4. Experimental Oncology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Venezian, 1, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Valeria Musella

  5. Pathology and Molecular Oncology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Venezian, 1, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Flavia Melotti, Alessandro Pellegrinelli, Massimo Milione & Federica Perrone

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  1. Filippo Pietrantonio
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  2. Pamela Biondani
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Correspondence to Filippo Pietrantonio.

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Pietrantonio, F., Biondani, P., Ciurlia, E. et al. Role of BAX for outcome prediction in gastrointestinal malignancies. Med Oncol 30, 610 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-013-0610-z

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