Prognostic significance of heat shock proteins 27 and 70 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.
BACKGROUND
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) first were defined as proteins induced by heat shock and other environmental and pathophysiologic stresses and are implicated in protein-protein interactions such as folding, translocation, and prevention of inappropriate protein aggregation. Many of their functions suggest that they play important roles in cancer.


METHODS
Immunohistochemical study for HSP 27 and HSP 70 was performed on buffered formalin fixed, paraffin embedded sections of 102 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens using monoclonal anti-HSP 27 antibody and anti-HSP 70 antibody.


RESULTS
Normal squamous cells expressed both HSP 27 and HSP 70 with the exception of the basal layer. In cancerous tissue, expression of HSP 27 was evaluated as positive (+) (39 cases; 38%), reduced (+/-) (53 cases; 52%), or negative (-) (10 cases; 10%) and expression of HSP 70 was evaluated as (+) (14 cases; 14%), (+/-) (57 cases; 56%), or (-) (31 cases; 30%). There was a strong correlation between the expression of HSP 27 and HSP 70 (P < 0.0001). When compared with clinicopathologic features, expression of both HSP 27 and HSP 70 correlated negatively with lymph node metastases (P < 0.05), but not with depth of invasion or histologic grade. The reduction of the HSPs was associated significantly with poor postoperative survival (P < 0.0001). In addition, multivariate analysis revealed that HSP 27 (-) was the strongest prognostic factor among the clinicopathologic features.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that the expression of HSP 27 and HSP 70 frequently is reduced in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and therefore should be considered an independent prognostic factor of this disease.
Kawanishi
K
K
Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan.
Shiozaki
H
H
Doki
Y
Y
Sakita
I
I
Inoue
M
M
Yano
M
M
Tsujinaka
T
T
Shamma
A
A
Monden
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000737:chemistry; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D015993:Life Tables; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins