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Query: UMLS:C0546837 (esophageal cancer)
 8,907 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Growth factor receptors transmit intracellular signals that may be important in carcinogenesis. The Grb7 protein was recently identified as a substrate of the epidermal growth factor receptor and related Her2/ erbB2 receptor-linked tyrosine kinase activity. The Grb7 gene has been found to be coamplified with Her2/erbB2 in breast carcinomas. In this study, Grb7 expression was studied in 32 human esophageal cancers. A human Grb7 cDNA encoding for N-terminal amino acids was isolated and found to be 90% homologous to the murine counterpart. Although there was no amplification of the Grb7 gene in esophageal cancers, Grb7 mRNA was found to be overexpressed in 14 cancers (43.8%) but not in adjacent normal esophageal mucosa. It is noteworthy that coexpression of Grb7 with epidermal growth factor receptor or Her2/erbB2 was detected in 10 esophageal carcinomas (31.3%) and was significantly related to extramucosal tumor invasion (P = 0.02), whereas such a relationship was not shown by each sole expression. These findings suggest a possible relationship of Grb7 signaling in association with expression of tyrosine kinase receptors in aggressive human esophageal cancer.
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PMID:Coexpression of Grb7 with epidermal growth factor receptor or Her2/erbB2 in human advanced esophageal carcinoma. 898 34

Hypopharyngeal cancer has been reported to be frequently associated with cancer of the upper gastrointestinal tract, especially the esophagus. We recently reviewed the records of patients who had undergone closed-chest esophagectomy to assess the value of endoscopy with iodine staining as a means of preoperative diagnosis of double cancers in this area and to investigate the characteristics of the hypopharyngeal and esophageal mucosa as sites for multicentric carcinogenesis. The subjects of this study were 30 patients who had undergone closed chest esophagectomy between January 1992 and December 1995 because of hypopharyngeal cancer. The following results were obtained: 1. Preoperative iodine staining often revealed the presence of cancer, with unstained areas covering more than half the circumference of the esophagus and being more than 3 cm in size. 2. Esophageal cancer and hypopharyngeal cancer were detected concurrently in 15 cases (synchronous double cancer) and at different times in 6 cases (metachronous double cancer). Synchronous esophageal cancer was more common in cases of advanced hypopharyngeal cancer, especially Stage IV. 3. When the number of cancer foci, their distribution along the circumference of the esophagus, and the extent of tumor spread in the esophagus were investigated, multiple and localized foci smaller than 1 cm were found to be more common in synchronous cancer, and solitary foci were more common in metachronous cancer. 4. The second primary esophageal cancer often occupied the Im or Ei area, and in metachronous double cancer, it was often localized in the middle and/or inferior segment of the esophagus. 5. In 60% of cases of synchronous double cancer, the esophageal cancer was confined to the mucosa. The esophageal cancer was early stage in 86.7% of cases of synchronous double cancer. These findings allow us to draw the following conclusions: (i) Because esophageal cancer which occurs synchronously with hypopharyngeal cancer tends to recur, it is suggested that a technique that allows complete extraction of the esophagus be selected. (ii) Local treatment such as endoscopic mucosal resection should be selected in metachronous early double cancer. (iii) Unstained areas extending along more than half the circumference of the esophagus and more than 3 cm in size suggest a high probability of the presence of cancer in this area. Adequate examination is needed in such cases. (iv) Screening of the upper gastrointestinal tract is important to detect head and neck cancer. An adequate examination schedule, tailored to the features of individual cases, seems essential.
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PMID:[Clinical and pathological study of esophageal mucosa with hypopharyngeal cancer]. 903 70

The possible etiological role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in esophageal carcinogenesis was evaluated in Alaska Natives in whom the incidence of esophageal cancer is 1.3 and 3.8 times higher than in US Caucasian men and women, respectively. Fixed paraffin-embedded esophageal tissues from 32 cases of squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) and 3 cases of adenocarcinoma (AC) diagnosed between 1957 and 1988 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization for HPV DNA sequences. Detection of the human beta-globin gene by PCR was used as a control for sufficiency of DNA and its potential for amplification in the tissue samples. Twenty-five of the tumor tissues were considered adequate for PCR analyses; HPV DNA was detected in 10 of 22 SCCs and was not found in 3 ACs. Seven of the 10 HPV-positive tissues contained sequences from the E6 gene of HPV type 16. Koilocytosis, an epithelial change consistent with HPV infection, was found in 80% of the esophageal squamous-cell tumors with HPV DNA and in 75% of those without HPV DNA. The detection of amplifiable cellular DNA was related to recentness of diagnosis; however, the detection of HPV DNA within amplifiable specimens was not related to recentness of diagnosis. A 413-bp sequence from the L1 open reading frame of HPV 16 from esophageal tissue of 2 patients was identical to sequences previously identified in cervical cells from other Alaska Natives. Our results provide molecular evidence of HPV infection, especially type 16, in archival esophageal cancer tissues from 45% of those patients whose specimens contain adequate DNA for PCR analysis.
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PMID:Human papillomavirus type 16 DNA in esophageal carcinomas from Alaska Natives. 913 46

The cancer risk changes of 19 human neoplasias over time and space, as expressed in terms of the logarithm of age-adjusted incidence rate (log AAIR), were found to hold a linear correlation with each other--a finding suggesting that the distribution pattern of log AAIR data sets of 2 cancers, when plotted on a two dimension diagram, may show a good fitness to the chemical equilibrium model a product of the law of mass action. On the basis of the statistical analysis of the data, we reached the conclusion that the risk changes of a given neoplasia in space represents the function of the centripetal force of an activated oncogene and the centrifugal force of an inactivated tumor suppressor gene, both of which should cooperate with each other to create a thermodynamic equilibrium under the law of mass action. The purpose of this study was to test the contribution of the oncogene-tumor suppressor gene complex to the sex discrimination of cancer risk in 19 human neoplasias. The results obtained are as follows: a) the correlation coefficient r seq of the sequential regression analysis, as applied to 47 log AAIR data sets of one tumor pair, served as a criterion in testing the balance of power between oncogene activation and tumor suppressor gene inactivation. Sole activation of the oncogene should give an r seq value of -1.0, whereas sole inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene should give an r seq value of +1.0. b) Esophageal cancer and laryngeal cancer, two sex-discriminating tumors with distinct male predominance were each associated with differential implications of the oncogene-tumor suppressor gene complex between the male and female populations: in both tumors, the male populations were associated with a complex of activated oncogene and inactivated tumor suppressor gene, whereas the female population was associated with another complex of weakly activated (esophageal cancer) or non-activated (laryngeal cancer) oncogene and inactivated tumor suppressor gene, as assessed by the r seq criteria. c) The intersex correlation of cancer risk in both esophageal cancer and laryngeal cancer for 47 populations throughout the world, was rather weak, when compared with other members of human neoplasias. The intersex difference of r seq as expressed in terms of t value of Student's t test for each of 19 human neoplasias, was negatively correlated with the correlation coefficient r of the intersex regression analysis with the same 47 populations. It was indicated that a change in the intersex linkage of cancer risk may be related to the differential implication of the oncogene-tumor suppressor gene complex in carcinogenesis. In summary, we conclude that the hormonal milieu of the host plays a cardinal role as the modifier of the oncogene-tumor suppressor gene impact.
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PMID:Differential implications of the oncogene-tumor suppressor gene complex in the geneses of 19 human neoplasias. Evidence in support of the steroid carcinogenesis hypothesis. 921 3

The tobacco specific carcinogen N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), is believed to be a causative agent for esophageal cancer in smokers. NNN requires metabolic activation to exert its carcinogenic potential. Metabolism occurs through cytochrome P450 (P450) catalyzed 2'- and 5'-hydroxylation, which generates unstable metabolites that decompose to 4-hydroxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone ('keto alcohol') and 4-hydroxy-4-(3-pyridyl)butanal, respectively. The latter cyclyzes to 5-(3-pyridyl)-2-hydroxytetrahydrofuran ('lactol'). 2'-Hydroxylation of NNN is believed to be the pathway critical for esophogeal NNN carcinogenesis in the rat. The ability of human liver microsomes and expressed human P450s to metabolize [5-(3)H]NNN to keto alcohol and lactol was determined by reverse phase HPLC with radioflow detection. At low NNN concentrations, 11 human liver microsomes metabolized NNN primarily by 5'-hydroxylation to lactol. This reaction was strongly correlated (r = 0.92) with coumarin 7-hydroxylation, suggesting that NNN 5'-hydroxylation is catalyzed mainly by P450 2A6. 2'-Hydroxylation of NNN by human liver microsomes correlated with 6beta-hydroxylation of testosterone, a P450 3A4-specific activity (r = 0.94). The relative rates of 2'- and 5'-hydroxylation by human P450s 2A6, 2E1, 2D6 and 3A4 expressed in Sf9 cells by the baculovirus-insect cell expression system, and human P450 3A4 produced by stable expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells, were determined. Human P450 2A6 metabolized 1 microM NNN exclusively by 5'-hydroxylation. The rate of lactol formation was 317 pmol/min per nmol P450. Human P450s 2E1 and 2D6 also metabolized NNN only to lactol, but at much lower rates, 0.4 and 0.8 pmol/min per nmol of P450 respectively. In contrast, the metabolism of NNN by expressed human P450 3A4 was specific for keto alcohol formation. The Km for 5'-hydroxylation by baculovirus-expressed P450 2A6 was 2.1 microM, and k(cat) was 953 pmol/min per nmol of P450. The Km for lactol formation by human liver microsomes containing high levels of P450 2A6, was 5 microM . Human liver microsomes exhibited a Km of 312 microM for keto alcohol formation. Coumarin, 8-methoxypsoralen (P450 2A6 inhibitors), and anti-2A6 monoclonal antibody were strong inhibitors of NNN-derived lactol formation in human liver microsomes. Troleandomycin, an inhibitor of P450 3A4, effectively inhibited the metabolism of NNN to keto alcohol by human liver microsomes. These results are consistent with P450 2A6 mediated 5'-hydroxylation and P450 3A4 mediated 2'-hydroxylation of NNN in human liver microsomes.
Carcinogenesis 1997 Aug
PMID:Evidence for cytochrome P450 2A6 and 3A4 as major catalysts for N'-nitrosonornicotine alpha-hydroxylation by human liver microsomes. 927 39

To better understand the roles of p53 and cell cycle-regulating protein alterations in human esophageal carcinogenesis, we investigated immunohistochemically the distribution patterns of Waf1p21, pRb, p16 and p53 in 22 cases of surgically resected esophageal cancer as well as in the neighboring non-cancerous squamous epithelia. Waf1p21 protein was detected in 13 of the 20 cases of well-differentiated squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), where the Waf1p21-positive cells were located mainly in the interior layers of the cancer nests. Conversely, p53-positive cells were found mostly in the peripheral layers. Cells containing both Waf1p21- and p53-positive immunostaining were not observed in a double-immunostaining experiment. p16 was detected in both the nucleus and cytoplasm in 3 of the 22 cases of SCC. All of these p16-positive cancers showed an absence of pRb immunostaining; this result is consistent with the idea that expression of p16 is regulated negatively by pRb. Eleven of the 22 esophageal SCCs (50%) showed extensive pRb immunostaining cells, and the remaining 11 cases displayed a few pRb-positive cells or an absence of pRb immunostaining. In a majority of the morphologically normal squamous-cell epithelia samples, immunostaining of Waf1p21 and pRb was found in most of the cells in the parabasal layers (proliferation compartment), where PCNA-positive cells also resided. In the pre-cancerous lesions, Waf1p21 and pRb were detected in cells surrounding the top of the lesioned region, p16-positive cells were scattered in the basal cell hyperplastic and dysplastic lesions and p53-positive cells existed in 2 distinct patterns: "scattered" and "focal".
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PMID:Immunohistochemical studies on Waf1p21, p16, pRb and p53 in human esophageal carcinomas and neighboring epithelia from a high-risk area in northern China. 931 88

Common and distinct genetic alterations are involved in the multistep mechanism of gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. Inactivation of the p53 and APC genes, activation of teleomerase and anomalous CD44 expression are common events that serve as a genetic marker for differential diagnosis of cancer. Amplification of cyclin D1 gene is preferentially found in esophageal cancer, whereas cyclin E gene amplification is frequently associated with both gastric and colorectal cancers. Multiple genetic alterations differ depending on the two histological types of gastric cancer. These genetic alterations can be applied in the multistep mechanism of the development and progression of gastrointestinal cancers. By application of these observations in clinical practice, we can facilitate and improve the differential diagnosis on cancer, obtain information on the grade of malignancy, determine patient prognosis, and identify patients at high risk for developing multiple cancers.
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PMID:[Molecular diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers]. 947 27

To elucidate the putative role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the etiology of esophageal cancer, 121 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens originating from a non-high-incidence area for this carcinoma, from Slovenia, were screened for HPV infection using eight different polymerase chain reactions (PCR). Three different HPV consensus primer sets and four primer sets specific for HPV types 6, 16, and 18 failed to detect HPV DNA sequences in any of the tumor samples. Fragments of human beta-globin gene that served as internal controls were successfully amplified from 120 of 121 specimens. Our study confirms the opinion that most esophageal cancers originating from non-high-incidence geographic areas of this cancer are not associated with HPV infection. According to the studies reviewed, it is likely that HPV infection plays a much more significant role in esophageal carcinogenesis in those areas of the world with a high incidence of ESCC.
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PMID:Human papillomavirus infection in esophageal carcinomas: a study of 121 lesions using multiple broad-spectrum polymerase chain reactions and literature review. 978 64

Esophageal cancer has been associated with tobacco smoking, and nitrosamines are possible causative agents for this cancer. The present study investigated the metabolism of the tobacco carcinogens N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), as well as the presence of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in human esophageal tissues from individuals in the United States and Huixian, Henan Province, China (a high-risk area for esophageal cancer). All esophageal microsomal samples activated NNN and the metabolic rate was 2-fold higher in the esophageal samples from China than the USA. All microsomal samples activated NDMA. However, most of the microsomal samples did not activate NNK. Troleandomycin (an inhibitor of cytochrome P450 3A) decreased the formation of NNN-derived keto acid by 20-26% in the esophageal microsomes. The activities for NADPH: cytochrome c reductase, ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase, NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase and glutathione S-transferase were present in the esophageal samples. Coumarin 7-hydroxylase (a representative activity for P450 2A6) activity was not detected in the esophageal microsomal samples. The activities for nitrosamine metabolism and xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes were decreased (by 30-50%) in the squamous cell carcinomas compared with their corresponding non-cancerous mucosa. The presence of activation and detoxification enzymes in the esophagus may play an important role in determining the susceptibility of the esophagus to the carcinogenic effect of nitrosamines. Our results suggest that P450s 3A4 and 2E1 are involved in the activation of NNN and NDMA, respectively, in the human esophagus.
Carcinogenesis 1998 Apr
PMID:Characterization of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and nitrosamine metabolism in the human esophagus. 960 Mar 53

Molecular markers can improve staging and predict aggressive clinical behavior in esophageal cancer, thus helping to define appropriate therapeutic protocols and to identify patients who will benefit from surgery. We therefore characterized, by Northern blot and/or immunohistochemistry, the relative expression of three effectors involved in the invasion, angiogenesis, and dissemination of tumor cells in esophageal cancer versus nontumoral mucosae: (a) stromelysin-3 (ST3), a member of the metalloproteinase family; (b) basement membrane 40/secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (BM-40/SPARC), an extracellular matrix-associated protein involved in angiogenesis; and (c) the hepatocyte growth factor receptor MET, which triggers the scattering of epithelial cells. Results were analyzed in relation to clinicopathological parameters (cpTNE) including tumor size (T), lymph node status (N), periesophageal tissue invasion (E), disease recurrence, and overall survival. The ST3, BM-40/SPARC, and MET genes were found to be overexpressed in tumor samples compared to control mucosa. BM-40/SPARC and MET mRNA levels were not linked to any one of the cpTNE, indicating that this overexpression occurs at an early stage of neoplastic progression. In contrast, ST3 expression, identified by immunohistochemistry in fibroblastic cells surrounding neoplastic islets, correlated with tumor size and periesophageal tissue invasion. Of the 36 patients studied, those with high ST3 levels had shorter disease-free survival than those with low levels, but there was no relationship between the cpTNE and disease recurrence or survival. Our study demonstrates that ST3, BM-40/SPARC, and MET are involved in different steps of esophageal carcinogenesis and that ST3 overexpression is a marker of aggressive clinical behavior. We conclude that in esophageal cancer, ST3 might help to assess survival and the risk of recurrence after surgical resection.
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PMID:Overexpression of stromelysin-3, BM-40/SPARC, and MET genes in human esophageal carcinoma: implications for prognosis. 962 53


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