Minichromosome maintenance protein 7 and geminin expression: Prognostic value in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in patients treated with radiotherapy and cetuximab

Background Minichromosome maintenance protein 7 (MCM7) is a downstream of human epidermal growth receptor (HER1) signaling. We examined MCM7, geminin, and HER1 expression in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) treated with radiotherapy and cetuximab. Methods MCM7, geminin, and HER1 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry on 61 patients with laryngeal SCC. The follow‐up (median, 32.1 months; range, 2–139 months) went from the beginning of therapy to tumor progression‐free survival (PFS) and death (overall survival [OS]). Results MCM7, but not geminin, was associated only with HER1 expression, whereas no association was found with other clinicopathological characteristics. Patients with MCM7 high ‐ geminin high and MCM7 high ‐ geminin low tumor status had a risk of progression 3.1 times and 17.7 times greater, respectively, than patients with MCM7 low – geminin high tumor status. Tumor site, MCM7, and geminin were independent determinants of PFS, whereas MCM7 was an independent prognostic marker of OS. Conclusion MCM7‐geminin tumor status may be prognostic for patients with laryngeal SCC treated with cetuximab and radiotherapy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 684–693, 2017