title: Metastasis-associated protein 1 nuclear expression is closely associated with tumor progression and angiogenesis in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purposes of the present study were to detect the expression of metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC), and to evaluate the relevance of MTA1 protein expression to the tumor progression, angiogenesis, and prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Both MTA1 protein and intratumoral microvessels were examined by immunohistochemical staining in 131 ESCC patients who successfully underwent subtotal esophagectomy and esophagogastric anastomosis at Qilu Hospital between Jan 2004 and Dec 2005. Intratumoral microvessel density (MVD) was recorded by counting CD-34 positive immunostained endothelial cells. All statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 13.0 statistical software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High expression of MTA1 protein was detected in 57 cases and significantly correlated with tumor invasion depth (P = 0.041), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.021), pathologic stage (P = 0.003), and MVD (P = 0.044). Survival analysis showed that patients with MTA1 protein high expression had significantly poor overall 5-year survival (P = 0.002), and the factor found on multivariate analysis to significantly affect overall survival was only pathologic stage (P = 0.040). Further stratified survival analysis split by pathologic stage demonstrated that MTA1 protein high expression significantly predicted unfavorable prognosis among patients with pathologic stage II disease (P = 0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High expression of the MTA1 protein is common in ESCC, and is closely associated with tumor progression, increased tumor angiogenesis, and poor survival. These findings indicate that MTA1 protein has clinical potentials as a useful indicator of progressive phenotype, a promising prognostic predictor to identify patients with poor prognosis, and a potential novel therapeutic target of antiangiogenesis for patients with ESCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Wen hua xi lu 107#, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China. lishuhai1981@163.com
authors.forename: Shu-Hai
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Wei-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Cun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Wen-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wen-Si
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D006655:Histone Deacetylases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D015534:Trans-Activators
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C089320:MTA1 protein, human; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D006655:Histone Deacetylases