Expression of nm23-H1 gene product in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and its association with vessel invasion and survival.
BACKGROUND
We assessed the nm23-H1 gene product expression and its relationship with lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.


METHODS
Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 45 patients who were treated surgically were used in this study. Pathologists graded lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in each of the tissue samples. Expression of nm23-Hl gene product was determined using a specific monoclonal antibody.


RESULTS
Expression of nm23-H1 gene product was present in 17 (37.8%) cases. We found an inverse correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion, whereas no correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion. Overall survival rate was not different between nm23-H1 gene product positive and negative patients (p = 0.21). However, reduced expression of nm23-H1 gene product was associated with shorter overall survival in patients with involved lymph nodes (p < 0.05), but not in patients without involved lymph nodes (p = 0.87).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, there appears to be an inverse relationship between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion. Furthermore, nm23-H1 gene product expression might be a prognostic marker in patients with involved lymph nodes. Our data does not demonstrate any correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion.
Tomita
M
M
Department of Surgery II, Miyazaki Medical College Kihara 5200, Kiyotake, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan. mtomita@post.miyazaki-med.ac.jp
Ayabe
T
T
Matsuzaki
Y
Y
Edagawa
M
M
Maeda
M
M
Shimizu
T
T
Hara
M
M
Onitsuka
T
T
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D009383:Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011897:Random Allocation; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005404:Fixatives; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D014157:Transcription Factors; D005557:Formaldehyde; C517938:NME1 protein, human; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins