RESEARCH Expression of pAkt affects d

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleIntroduction Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malig-nancy with an annual incidence of 15 to 50 cases per 100,000 individuals in Southern China [1]. The progno-sis of patients with NPC in the early stages is generally favorable, although the incidence of relapse remains high for locoregionally advanced NPC [2,3]. Radiotherapy remains the primary mode of treatment for locoregional NPC. In the present study, we focused on evaluating the predictive value of the p53 pathway in outcomes of pa-tients with locoregional NPC in response to radiother-apy. The p53 gene is thought to be central in mediating response to commonly used cancer treatments, such as radiotherapy. Codon 72 (Arg/Pro) is the most frequently studied SNP in the p53 gene to date. The amino acid encoded by codon 72 resides in a poly proline regio