system
Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: BACKGROUND, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols, Biomarkers, Tumor, Carboplatin, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, Cetuximab, Cisplatin, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16, Disease-Free Survival, ErbB Receptors, Female, Fluorouracil, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mouth Neoplasms, Otorhinolaryngologic Neoplasms, PTEN Phosphohydrolase, Retrospective Studies, Survival Rate.
user
Is low PTEN expression associated with worse overall survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with chemotherapy and cetuximab? Context: Platinum-based chemotherapy associated with cetuximab is the first-line treatment for inoperable recurrence or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). There is no established biomarker for cetuximab efficacy in HNSCC. The PI3K pathway is one of the most frequently altered pathways in HNSCC. Loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression occurs in up to 30 % of cases. This was a retrospective analysis of data from 61 patients with inoperable recurrence or metastatic HNSCC treated with cetuximab. PTEN, epidermal growth factor receptor and p16 expression were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and tested for association with clinical outcomes. Median overall survival was 11.4 months and progression-free survival was 6.9 months. Low PTEN expression was present in 26.2 % of patients and identified patients with worse prognosis. p16 was positive in only 8.5 % of tumors.
assistant
Low PTEN expression in patients treated with cetuximab plus chemotherapy emerged as a prognostic biomarker and should be evaluated for its predictive role for cetuximab efficacy. Final Decision: yes