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Objectives/Hypothesis: Early‐stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) has yielded local control rates of 75% after radiotherapy. DNA methylation, in which DNA methyltransferases play an important role, has influence on tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigated the association between the expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and local control in early‐stage LSCC treated with radiotherapy. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: We analyzed a well‐defined homogeneous series of 125 LSCC patients treated with radiotherapy with curative intent. The association of immunohistochemical expression of DNMT1 with local control was evaluated using Cox proportional hazard regression models. Results: With a median follow‐up of 58 months, 29 local recurrences (23%) were observed. On univariate analysis, worse local control was associated with high DNMT1 expression (hazard ratio [HR] 2.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10–6.01). Also, higher T‐stage (HR 2.48, 95% CI 1.06–5.80) and positive N‐status (HR 2.62, 95% CI 1.06–6.47) were associated with worse local control. Multivariate Cox regression demonstrated that high DNMT1 (HR 2.81; 95% CI 1.20–6.58) was independently associated with worse local control. Conclusions: We found an association between high DNMT1 expression and worse local control in a homogeneous well‐defined cohort of early‐stage LSCC patients treated with definitive radiotherapy. The association between DNA methylation status as determined by DNMT1 expression and local control suggests that DNMT1 acts as a potential prognostic tumor marker in treatment decision‐making in early‐stage laryngeal carcinoma. Level of evidence: NA Laryngoscope, 132:801–805, 2022 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Most early stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (LSCC) are treated with radiotherapy. Discovery of new biomarkers are needed to improve prediction of outcome after radiotherapy and to identify potential targets for systemic targeted therapy. The ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene plays a critical role in DNA damage response induced by ionizing radiation.Methods: The prognostic value of immunohistochemical expression of pATM, pChk2, and p53 were investigated in 141 patients with T1-T2 LSCC curatively treated with external beam radiotherapy. Uni- and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to examine the relation between expression levels of markers and local control.Results: Local control was significantly worse in cases with high levels of pATM (HR 2.14; 95% CI, 1.08-4.24; P = .03). No significant associations with local control were found for pChk2 and p53 expression. The association of high pATM expression with poor local control was only found for supraglottic LSCC (HR 10.9; 95% CI, 1.40-84.4; P = .02).Conclusion: Our findings suggest a potential role for ATM in response to radiotherapy in early stage supraglottic LSCC and imply ATM inhibition as a possibility to improve response to radiotherapy.Level Of Evidence: NA Laryngoscope, 130: 1954-1960, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 52-year-old woman was referred because of maxillary sinusitis. CT-scan showed two migrated dental implants in both maxillary sinuses.