title: Multifocal accumulation of p53 protein in esophageal carcinoma: evidence for field cancerization.
abstract: A systematic characterization of the cancerization field of esophageal carcinoma based on p53 protein accumulation has not been reported previously. The present report presents such a study based on 50 specimens of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma from northern China. To gain insight into the etiology of this disease among the 50 subjects, DNA was analyzed for a polymorphism of the aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) gene, which has been associated with increased risk for esophageal cancer among alcohol-consuming patients in Japan. However, the frequency of this polymorphism among our subjects, 30% (15/50), was within published control frequencies for this allele, suggesting that this allele may not play a role in the etiology of esophageal cancer in this northern Chinese population. Immuno-histochemical staining showed that 66% of the tumors were p53+. Of 420 pieces near or adjacent to p53+ tumors, p53+ cells were present among 64% of basal-cell hyperplasia (BCH), 70% of dysplasia (DYS) and 88% of carcinoma in situ (CIS). Of 216 pieces near or adjacent to p53- tumors, p53+ frequencies were 25% of BCH, 25% of DYS and 0% of CIS. The proportion of BCH cells that were p53+ decreased at increasing distance from the tumor (p = 0.006). The sporadic distribution of p53+ cells and the distribution and frequency of p53+ precursor lesions support the view that accumulation of p53 protein is multifocal and occurs in precursor lesions in early stages of esophageal carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Carcinogenesis Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Setzer
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Mumford
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: DeMarini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53