Abstract
Background: The purpose of the present study was to examine the expression of cell cycle regulators [p53, p21WAF1/CIP1 (p21), and Rb] and apoptosis related proteins Bax and Bcl-XL and to evaluate the relationship between their expressions and clinicopathological findings in patients with superficial squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus.
Methods: We immunohistochemically investigated the expression of p53, p21, Rb, Bax, and Bcl-XL in 79 patients with superficial esophageal carcinoma.
Results: p21 overexpression was found in mucosal carcinoma (P = 0.05) and a high Bcl-XL score was observed for submucosal carcinoma (P = 0.03). The patients with high Bcl-XL score had more frequent lymphatic invasion and lymph node metastasis than did those with low Bcl-XL score (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis revealed significantly shorter survival in patients with high Bcl-XL expression than in those with low Bcl-XL expression, but Bcl-XL expression was not identified as an independent prognostic factor by multivariate analysis.
Conclusions: Because Bcl-Xl expression correlated well with depth of tumor invasion, lymphatic invasion, and lymph node metastasis, examination of Bcl-XL expression will help to estimate the properties in superficial squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.
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Matsumoto, M., Natsugoe, S., Nakashima, S. et al. Clinical Significance and Prognostic Value of Apoptosis Related Proteins in Superficial Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Ann Surg Oncol 8, 598–604 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10434-001-0598-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10434-001-0598-z