Objective To assess tumor markers in advanced laryngeal cancer. Design Marker
expression and clinical outcome. Patients Pretreatment tumor biopsy specimens were
analyzed from patients enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs Laryngeal Cancer
Study. Main Outcome Measures Expression of p53 (OMIMTP53) and Bcl-xL (OMIM600039)
in pretreatment biopsy specimens was assessed for correlation with chemotherapy
response, laryngeal preservation, and survival. Results Higher rates of larynx preservation …

Main Outcome Measures: p53 and Bcl-xL expression in pretreatment biopsies was
assessed for correlation with response to chemotherapy, laryngeal preservation, and
survival. Results: In the chemotherapy arm of the study, all patients with tumors having low
p53 and low Bcl-xL (10/10) preserved their larynx compared with other combinations of p53
and Bcl-xL expression (24/32). Patients in this group had a 7.3-fold increased likelihood of
larynx preservation relative to all others. No patient with tumor expressing low p53 and low …