title: Apoptosis and cell proliferation in esophageal sqamous cell carcinoma treated by chemotherapy.
abstract: The p53 gene is associated with G1 arrest during the cell cycle and with apoptosis. To evaluate the preoperative chemotherapeutic effect in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, we retrospectively investigated the apoptotic index (AI) and Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67LI) in relation to the expression of p53. Thirty patients with esophageal carcinoma who had received chemotherapy prior to surgery were examined using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated in-situ end-labeling (TUNEL) method for evaluating AI and immunohistochemical staining with anti Ki-67 and anti p53 antibody for evaluating Ki-67LI and p53 expression, respectively. The histological response rate of chemotherapy was 20.0%. A significant correlation between p53-negative expression and response to chemotherapy was found (P<0. 01). The AIs and Ki-67LIs in p53-negative tumors with ineffective responses to chemotherapy were significantly higher than those in p53-positive tumors with ineffective responses (P<0.05). The AIs and Ki-67LIs were significantly lower in p53-negative tumors with effective responses to chemotherapy than those in p53-negative tumors with ineffective responses (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). Furthermore, significant correlations were found between AIs and Ki-67LIs in p53 negative tumors (r=0.60, P<0.05). In esophageal carcinoma, p53-negative tumors with highly proliferative cells might be susceptible to apoptosis induced by chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan. hokumura@med3.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Natsugoe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakita
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kusano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takao
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aikou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53