Association of metallothionein expression and clinical response to XXXX based chemotherapy in testicular @entity2971 .

@entity1 @entity137 @entity2971 @entity5 @entity900 @entity4797
INTRODUCTION: The protective roles of metallothioneins (MT) against metal @entity137 suggest that MT may have a functional role in @entity900 resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of MT in specimens of @entity2971 and compare it with clinical sensitivity to @entity900 based chemotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Tissue blocks of primary GCT specimens obtained from 39 @entity1 were examined immunohistochemically for MT expression. Staining intensity was evaluated according to the percentage of MT positive cells and graded as [-], [+] and [++]. The staining characteristics were compared with the clinical response to chemotherapy. RESULTS: Of the 39 @entity5 , 3 evidenced no MT expression while 26 and 10 specimens showed [+] and [++] staining, respectively. Although @entity4797 tend to stain weaker than @entity4797 , the difference of staining between them was not significant (p = 0.19). Of the 39 @entity1 , 23 underwent @entity900 based chemotherapy. Of those, 6 progressed and 17 achieved complete remission. Of the non-responders, 5 showed [+] and 1 showed [++] staining. Six of the responders showed [+], 10 had [++] and 1 showed no staining. No association was found between MT staining and chemo-sensitivity (p = 0.53). CONCLUSIONS: MT expression in primary @entity2971 did not differ between responding and non-responding @entity1 and therefore may not be useful in predicting response to chemotherapy.
