Clinical stage-dependent expression of MRE11 and its association with laryngeal cancer progression

Q: What clinical variable did the study use to evaluate MRE11 expression?

The study assessed MRE11 expression across clinical stages, comparing early stages I–II with later stages III–IV.

Q: How was MRE11 expression measured in this study?

MRE11 expression was evaluated using immunohistochemical analysis on pretreatment biopsy samples.

Q: What survival outcomes were associated with higher MRE11 expression?

Higher MRE11 expression was associated with better overall survival and longer progression-free survival.

Sep 22, 2026

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Radiotherapy is a mainstay for laryngeal cancer, while MRE11—an MRN complex component—affects both radioresistance and cellular signaling. This retrospective study assessed how pretreatment MRE11 expression relates to tumour progression in 108 radiotherapy-treated laryngeal cancer patients at Bulovka University Hospital, Prague. Immunohistochemistry evaluated DNA repair proteins and linked their expression to treatment outcomes. MRE11 showed the strongest association across clinical stages, with higher expression in I–II and lower expression in III–IV, and improved overall and progression-free survival.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Materials and methods

Results

Conclusions

Keywords

Introduction

Radiotherapy and DNA damage response

Core proteins associated with DNA repair

Clinical stage-dependent expression of MRE11

MRE11 and treatment outcomes

REPORTS OF PRACTICAL ONCOLOGY AND RADIOTHERAPY © 2026 Greater Poland Cancer Centre. Published by Via Medica. All rights reserved. e-ISSN 2083–4640 ISSN 1507–1367 ISSN: 1507–1367 RESEARCH PAPER Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy 2026, Volume 31, Number 4, pages: 492–500 DOI: 10.5603/rpor.112754 Submitted: 20.10.2025 Accepted: 19.05.2026 Clinical stage-dependent expression of MRE11 and its association with laryngeal cancer progression Zdenka Pechacova1* , Radka Lohynska2*, **, Zuzana Spurkova3, Vratislav Sedivec4, Marian Svajdler4, Tereza Drbohlavova1, Petra Tesarova1, Miloslav Pala1** 1Institute of Radiation Oncology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Bulovka University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic 2Department of Oncology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic 3Department of Pathology and Anatomy, Bulovka University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic 4Bioptical Laboratory Ltd, Pilsen, Czech Republic *These authors contributed equally as first authors **These authors contributed as senior authors ABSTRACT Background: Radiotherapy is a mainstay of treatment for laryngeal cancer. MRE11, a core component of the MRN complex, contributes to radioresistance and also has a signalling function. This study examines the association between MRE11 expression and tumour progression in patients with laryngeal cancer treated at Bulovka University Hospital in Prague. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 108 patients with laryngeal cancer treated with radiotherapy. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on pretreatment biopsy samples to evaluate the expression of selected DNA repair proteins and statistically assess their impact on treatment outcomes. Results: Of the proteins studied, MRE11 showed the strongest statistical association, with significantly higher expression in early clinical stages I–II and lower expression in stages III–IV (p < 0.001) . Higher MRE11 expression was associated with better overall survival (p < 0.001) and longer progression-free survival (p = 0.025). No significant relationship was observed between analysed protein expression and treatment toxicity. Conclusions: In our cohort of patients with laryngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy, elevated immunohistochemical expression of MRE11 was associated with less advanced disease and improved treatment outcomes, in contrast to findingsin other head and neck cancers. This discrepancy may reflect the context-dependent function of MRE11 . Further research is needed to clarify the prognostic role of MRE11 and its potential use in guiding personalised treatment. Keywords: MRE11 homolog; biomarker; laryngeal cancer; radiotherapy; radiation tolerance; treatment effectiveness Rep Pract Oncol Radiother 2026;31(4):492–500 Introduction Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment. Ionising photon radiation from a linear accelerator is most commonly used, with indirect ionisation occurring through the transfer of energy to secondary electrons. Irradiated tissues undergo gradual changes in three phases: physical (ionisation and excitation), chemical (free-radical formation), and biological (molecular damage, activation of repair mechanisms, or cell death) [1] . Address for correspondence: Zdenka Pechacova, Institute of Radiation Oncology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Bulovka University Hospital, Budinova 67/2, 180 81 Prague, Czech Republic, e-mail: [zdenka.pechacova@bulovka.cz](zdenka.pechacova@bulovka.cz) This article is available in open access under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits users to download and share the article with others, provided that they credit the authors and the publisher, do not alter the article in any way, and do not use it commercially. 492 [https://journals.viamedica.pl/rpor](h

FAQs

What clinical variable did the study use to evaluate MRE11 expression?

The study assessed MRE11 expression across clinical stages, comparing early stages I–II with later stages III–IV.

How was MRE11 expression measured in this study?

MRE11 expression was evaluated using immunohistochemical analysis on pretreatment biopsy samples.

What survival outcomes were associated with higher MRE11 expression?

Higher MRE11 expression was associated with better overall survival and longer progression-free survival.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by CatatanPagi