title: Increased expression of ornithine decarboxylase messenger RNA in human esophageal carcinoma.
abstract: Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines, which are essential for cell proliferation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ODC expression in human esophageal cancer at the mRNA level. Sixty-four pairs of primary esophageal cancers and normal esophageal epithelia were examined by reverse transcription-PCR for ODC mRNA expression. The ODC mRNA levels were higher in primary esophageal carcinoma than in adjacent normal esophageal epithelium in 58 (90.6%) of 64 cases. The tumor:normal (T:N) ratio of ODC mRNA expression in esophageal specimens has a significant correlation with tumor-node-metastasis staging (P = 0.043), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.039), vascular vessel invasion (P = 0.035), and histology (P = 0.034) of the tumor. In well- and moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, the patients with a higher T:N ratio showed a significantly poorer prognosis (P = 0.027), and multivariate analysis also confirmed that the T:N ratio has a significant correlation with poor prognosis (P = 0.043). The steady-state of ODC mRNA overexpression in esophageal carcinoma implies that the ODC gene may play an important role in tumorgenesis in squamous epithelium. Furthermore, ODC mRNA expression may be used as a prognostic marker, especially for well- and moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Japan. MAFUNE-2SU@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mafune
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mimori
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takubo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makuuchi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000098:blood supply / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002296:Carcinosarcoma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase