Search

Background/aim: Few studies have examined postoperative CRP in esophageal cancer. We investigated the relationship between postoperative CRP values according to the postoperative period and prognosis in esophageal cancer., Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study including 187 patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) between January 2008 and October 2016., Results: CRP within 1 month of surgery was not related to overall survival (OS) or recurrence-free survival (RFS). In a univariate analysis, postoperative 2 months (2M)-CRP ≥0.15 ml/dl was associated with poorer OS (41.4 vs. 71.4%, p=0.0002) and RFS (28.9 vs. 51.3%, p=0.007). In a multivariate analysis, 2M-CRP ≥0.15 ml/dl was an independent factor for poorer OS (HR=2.27, 95%CI=1.03-3.34, p=0.005) and RFS (HR=1.65, 95%CI=1.08-2.52, p=0.020). The incidence of postoperative pneumonia was significantly higher in the 2M-CRP ≥0.15 ml/dl group (p=0.026)., Conclusion: 2M-CRP ≥0.15 ml/dl is an independent prognostic factor for ESCC. Furthermore, postoperative pneumonia may be associated with patient prognosis after esophagectomy., (Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (FP) has been administered to patients with clinical stage II or III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We aimed to confirm the clinical efficacy and outcomes of NAC with FP., Patients and Methods: The clinicopathological features and survival of 152 patients with clinical stage II/III ESCC who received NAC with FP followed by radical esophagectomy were analyzed., Results: The R1/2 resection rate was higher (p=0.06) and the high histological response rate was significantly lower (p=0.05) in those with clinical stage III disease. Invasion depth significantly improved in those with less than cT3 (17/30. 57%), but did not in more invasive cases (35/122, 29%) (p=0.004). T Factor was frequently improved in those with clinical stage II (p=0.08). Five-year survival rates in clinical stage II and III were 73% and 41%, respectively. A multivariate analysis identified clinical stage (p=0.01) and residual tumor (p<0.01) as independent prognostic factors., Conclusion: NAC with FP is effective for patients with clinical stage II ESCC, while its potency may be lower for those with clinical stage III or cT3 disease., (Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

T-cell intracellular antigen-1 (TIA1) is an RNA-binding protein involved in many regulatory aspects of mRNA metabolism. Here, we report previously unknown tumor-promoting activity of TIA1, which seems to be associated with its isoform-specific molecular distribution and regulation of a set of cancer-related transcripts, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Immunohistochemical overexpression of TIA1 ectopically localized in the cytoplasm of tumor cells was an independent prognosticator for worse overall survival in a cohort of 143 ESCC patients. Knockdown of TIA1 inhibited proliferation of ESCC cells. By exogenously introducing each of two major isoforms, TIA1a and TIA1b, only TIA1a, which was localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm, promoted anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent ESCC cell proliferation. Ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation, followed by microarray analysis or massive-parallel sequencing, identified a set of TIA1-binding mRNAs, including SKP2 and CCNA2. TIA1 increased SKP2 and CCNA2 protein levels through the suppression of mRNA decay and translational induction, respectively. Our findings uncover a novel oncogenic function of TIA1 in esophageal tumorigenesis, and implicate its use as a marker for prognostic evaluation and as a therapeutic target in ESCC.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) have been reported to be activated in several types of cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether GSTP1 protein expression is a useful predictor of the clinical outcome or drug resistance in ESCC. Immunohistochemistry was conducted with 75 ESCC resected specimens using a monoclonal antibody against GSTP1. The patients were divided into two groups according to the degree of GSTP1 staining, and the relationship between the GSTP1 level and the clinicopathological features was examined. Seventy-five patients were divided into low (grade 1, n=36) and high (grade 2, n=39) GSTP1 expression groups. The overall survival was significantly worse in the grade 2 patients than in the grade 1 patients (5‑year survival rate, 78.5 vs. 51.2%; p=0.027). Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that macroscopic type 3 or 4 disease (p=0.001), lymph node metastasis (p=0.010), and high GSTP1 expression (p=0.029) were independent predictors of a poor prognosis. With regard to the subgroup analysis among the 31 patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy, the grade 2 patients had a worse prognosis than did the grade 1 patients (5‑year survival rate, 45.0 vs. 81.8%; p=0.081). This tendency was not observed in the subgroup without adjuvant chemotherapy (5‑year survival rate, 51.7 vs. 59.9%; p=0.979). In conclusion, the GSTP1 expression is a good predictor of prognosis, and it may be closely related to the chemotherapeutic efficacy of 5-FU plus cisplatin in ESCC patients.