title: Overexpression of HSPA2 is correlated with poor prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heat shock-related 70 kDa protein 2 (HSPA2) has been identified as a potential cancer-promoting protein expressed at abnormal levels in a subset of cancers. However, its important role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is hardly known by people. The purpose of this study is to assess HSPA2 expression and to explore its role in ESCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty ESCC samples, paired adjacent non-cancerous tissues and normal esophageal tissues, were collected for HSPA2 detection by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. Additionally, the expression of HSPA2 in ESCC and adjacent non-cancerous tissues from 120 patients was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patients' outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HSPA2 mRNA and protein were overexpressed in ESCC tissues. Overexpression of HSPA2 was significantly associated with primary tumor, TNM stage, lymph node metastases and recurrence, respectively (all, P <0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that elevated HSPA2 expression was associated with shorter disease-free survival and overall survival in ESCC patients. Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed that overexpression of HSPA2 was an independent prognostic factor in disease-free survival and overall survival for ESCC patients (hazard ratio was 2.115 and 2.210, respectively, P <0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings demonstrate that overexpression of HSPA2 may contribute to the malignant progression of ESCC and present a novel prognostic indicator for ESCC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha, Hunan Province 410008, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chao-Jun
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Chun-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; C091879:HSPA2 protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger