Correlation of Ezrin Expression Pattern and Clinical Outcomes in Ewing Sarcoma

Abstract EN

Background.

Ezrin is a membrane-cytoskeleton linker protein that has been associated with metastasis and poor outcomes in osteosarcoma and high-grade soft tissue sarcomas.

The prognostic value of ezrin expression in Ewing sarcoma is unknown.

Methods.

The relationship between ezrin expression and outcome was analyzed in a cohort of 53 newly diagnosed Ewing sarcoma patients treated between 2000 and 2011.

The intensity and proportion of cells with ezrin immunoreactivity were assessed in diagnostic tumor tissue using a semiquantitative scoring system to yield intensity and positivity scores for each tumor.

Results.

Ezrin expression was detected in 72% (38/53) of tumor samples.

The proportion of patients with metastatic disease was equal in the positive and negative ezrin expression groups.

There was no significant difference in the 5-year event-free survival (EFS) between patients with positive versus negative ezrin expression.

Patients whose tumor sample showed high ezrin intensity had significantly better 5-year EFS when compared to patients with low/no ezrin intensity (78% versus 55%; P=0.03).

Conclusions.

Ezrin expression can be detected in the majority of Ewing sarcoma tumor samples.

Intense ezrin expression may be correlated with a favorable outcome; however further investigation with a larger cohort is needed to validate this finding.