Abstract
The prognosis for patients with esophageal cancer remains poor. Therefore, the identification of novel target molecules for the treatment of esophageal cancer is necessary. Here, we investigated the clinicopathological significance of transcription factor 4/transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF4/TCF7L2) in resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), because TCF4/TCF7L2 expression has not been studied in esophageal cancer previously.This study included 79 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgery between 1998 and 2005. The expression of the TCF4/TCF7L2 protein in the nucleus of esophageal cancer cells was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. We examined the correlation between TCF4/TCF7L2 expression, clinicopathological factors, and prognosis in patients with ESCC.TCF4/TCF7L2 was expressed in 57 % (45/79) of patients. TCF4/TCF7L2 expression was correlated with T factor (T1 vs. T2-4, p = 0.001), stage (I vs. II-IV, p =0.0058), Ly factor (p =0.038), and V factor (p =0.038) and did not correlate with age, gender or N factor. Furthermore, patients who were positive for TCF4/TCF7L2 had a significantly lower survival rate than those who were negative for TCF4/TCF7L2 (log-rank test, p = 0.0040). TCF4/TCF7L2 expression significantly affected the survival of patients with ESCC. Positive expression of TCF4/TCF7L2 was correlated with a poor prognosis after a curative operation in patients with ESCC.
Highlights
The prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer remains poor, emphasizing the need for the development of new treatment strategies
Expression of TCF4/TCF7L2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) First, we investigated the expression of the TCF4/TCF7L2 protein in ESCC tissues using immunohistochemistry
Consistent with this observation, our current experiments show that TCF4/TCF7L2 is expressed in the nucleus of ESCC cells (Fig. 1)
Summary
The prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer remains poor, emphasizing the need for the development of new treatment strategies. Even in early-stage disease, many patients develop a local recurrence of tumors or distant metastasis within a short period of time after operation. To develop novel treatment strategies, it is important to understand the biological behavior of esophageal cancer. Recent studies identified several genes and molecules involved in the origin and/or progression of esophageal cancer, including TP53 [1], deleted in esophageal cancer 1 (DEC1) [2], deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) [3], deleted in lung cancer 1 (DLC1) [4], cyclin D1 [5], Ishiguro et al Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters (2016) 21:5 adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) [6], and survivin [7]. The precise mechanisms that underlie the development and progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain unclear
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
