CDC25B and p53 are independently implicated in radiation sensitivity for human esophageal cancers

Ionized radiation leads to G1 arrest and apoptosis by a p53-dependent pathway and G2-M arrest through a p53-independent pathway. In this study, we evaluated the role of cell cycle-regulating molecules in the sensitivity of cancer cells for radiation therapy. Forty-seven patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus had undergone radiation therapy, followed by surgical resection. They were classified as sensitive to radiation (SR, 14 cases) with no residual tumor in the surgical specimen or as resistant to radiation (RR, 33 cases) with viable residual tumors. Their preradiation biopsy samples were immunohistochemically investigated for the expressions of cell cycle-related molecules, including p53, CDC25A, CDC25B, cyclin D1, cyclin B1, and Ki-67. p53 expression was negative in 71% (10 of 14) of SR and positive in 91% (30 of 33) of RR. The association was strong between high radiation sensitivity and negative p53 expression (P < 0.0001). CDC25B, which is not expressed in normal epithelium but is in the cytoplasm of esophageal cancers, was strongly expressed (2+) in 46% (6 of 14) of SR and in 6% (2 of 23) of RR. Thus, the sensitivity for radiation therapy was significantly correlated with CDC25B overexpression. With respect to CDC25A, cyclin D1, cyclin B1, and Ki-67, no statistically significant differences were found in their expressions between SR and RR tumors. p53 and CDC25B expressions showed no significant associations, and multivariate analysis revealed that both p53 and CDC25B are significant independent markers for predicting radiation sensitivity. CDC25B was revealed to be a novel predictor of radiation sensitivity in esophageal cancers. Because CDC25B is an oncogene, which affects G2-M progression, these results suggest the importance of a p53-independent G2-M checkpoint in radiation therapy.