Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
Development and Maintenance of a Preclinical Patient Derived Tumor Xenograft Model for the Investigation of Novel Anti-Cancer Therapies
Published on: September 30, 2016
PTEN status in advanced colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab
F V Negri1, C Bozzetti, C A Lagrasta
1Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital, Parma 43100, Italy. francescanegri2@hotmail.com
Background:
Loss of phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted in chromosome 10 (PTEN) function in advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) may represent one of the resistance mechanisms to cetuximab by interfering with the epidermal growth factor receptor signal transduction pathway.
Methods:
PTEN expression tested by indirect immunofluorescence was evaluated both on primary (n=43) and on metastatic (n=24) sites in CRC patients treated with cetuximab.
Results:
The loss of PTEN expression tested on metastatic sites was negatively associated with response (100% progressive disease (PD) in PTEN-negative cases vs 30% PD in PTEN-positive cases; P<0.05), PFS (0.8 vs 8.2 months; P<0.001) and OS (2.9 vs 14.2 months; P<0.001).
Conclusion:
A potential role of PTEN in the anti-tumour activity of cetuximab could be hypothesised.
