title: Vasculogenic mimicry and aberrant expression of HIF-lα/E-cad are associated with worse prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: This study aims to find good markers for predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) and the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-lα (HIF-lα)/E-cad protein in ESCC were investigated by immunostaining. The association between VM, HIF-lα/E-cad and clinicopathologic characteristics and 5-year-survival rate of patients with ESCC was analyzed. A total of 160 ESCC specimens were involved in this study and 28 specimens of normal esophageal mucosa served as controls. VM channels were identified in 78 (48.75%) of the 160 ESCC specimens and none of the normal esophageal mucosa was found to have VM. The rates of high-expression of HIF-lα and E-cad in ESCC were 43.75% and 38.75%, while the rates in control were 17.86% and 71.43%, respectively (P<0.05 for all). VM and the expression levels of HIF-lα and E-cad were significantly related to lymph node metastasis, serosa infiltration, PTNM staging and 5-year-survival rates of patients with ESCC (P<0.05 for all). VM was positively correlated with HIF-lα but negatively with E-cad, and HIF-lα was negatively correlated with E-cad (P<0.001 for all). The 5-year-survival rate of patients with ESCC was 6.41% (5/78) in VM group and 65% (52/82) in non-VM group, 7.14% (5/70) in high HIF-lα expression group and 57.78% (52/90) in low HIF-lα expression group. Oppositely, the 5-year-survival rate in high E-cad expression group was 80.65% (50/62) and that in low E-cad expression group was 7.37% (7/98) (P<0.05 for all). Cox multifactor regression analysis indicated that lymph node metastasis, PTNM stage, VM and expression levels of HIF-lα and E-cad were independent risk factors of patients with ESCC (P<0.05 for all). Combined detection of VM, HIF-lα and E-cad plays an important role in predicting the invasion, metastasis and prognosis of patients with ESCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233000, China.|Department of Pathophysiology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Da-Min
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233000, China.
authors.forename: Zheng-Qi
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233000, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233000, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233000, China.
authors.forename: Zhen-Zhong
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233000, China. tys101041@126.com.
authors.forename: Yi-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Tao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins; C497442:HIF1A protein, human; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit