Abstract
BackgroundP120 catenin (p120ctn), a regulator of cell adhesion, has previously been found in many malignancies, and suggested a role in invasion, metastasis and survival. The aim of this study was to investigate correlations between altered localization of p120ctn and clinical-pathological characteristics in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).MethodsImmunohistochemical staining for p120ctn was performed on tissue samples from 118 patients with ESCC. The expression of p120ctn was scored for intensity and cellular localization by Image-pro Plus 6.0. Correlations between immunohistochemical staining of p120ctn and pathological characteristics and clinical prognosis were determined using SPSS 18.0 software.ResultsMembrane expression of p120ctn in ESCCs was lower than that in adjacentnormal esophageal epithelial tissues (P = 0.041), while overall cellular expression of p120ctn was not different between the two tissue types (P = 0.787). Furthermore, neither overall cellular expression nor localized membrane expression was associated with histological and clinical variables. The high ratio of membrane expression to overall cellular expression (M/C) of p120ctn was inversely associated with lymph node invasion (P = 0.001), tumor differentiation (P = 0.012) and advanced tumor stage (P = 0.005); however, it was poorly associated with T stage (P = 0.274). The high M/C ratio of p120ctn was inversely correlated with poor survival; the 5-year OS (overall survival) and the 5-year DFS (disease free survival) for the high M/C ratio group were significantly higher than those of the low M/C ratio group (41.0% vs. 6.7%, P = 0.000; 44.1% vs. 24.9%, P = 0.007). Both the M/C ratio of p120ctn and N status were independent variables for the prediction of overall survival (P = 0.007 and P = 0.027). The M/C of p120ctn predicted a 0.49-fold risk of ESCC death (p = 0.007, 95% CI 0.29–0.83).ConclusionsThe reduced M/C ratio of p120ctn acted as an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patient survival and for the migration and invasive behavior of the disease.
Highlights
Esophageal carcinoma is the eighth most common malignancy in the world, in Southern and Eastern Africa and Eastern Asia, with a nearly 16-fold variation in incidence internationally
The high ratio of membrane expression to overall cellular expression (M/C) of p120ctn was inversely associated with lymph node invasion (P = 0.001), tumor differentiation
P120ctn Correlates with Poor Prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)
Summary
Esophageal carcinoma is the eighth most common malignancy in the world, in Southern and Eastern Africa and Eastern Asia, with a nearly 16-fold variation in incidence internationally. Esophageal carcinoma is the sixth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide [1]. Among all histological sub-types, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The prognosis of ESCC patients is still poor, with an overall 5-year survival rate of only 10% [3]. Two of the most common prognostic factors of ESCC are an advanced stage at diagnosis and the spread of neoplastic cells into the lymph nodes, and these result in the poor survival of ESCC patients [4,5,6]. P120 catenin (p120ctn), a regulator of cell adhesion, has previously been found in many malignancies, and suggested a role in invasion, metastasis and survival. The aim of this study was to investigate correlations between altered localization of p120ctn and clinicalpathological characteristics in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
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