title: Clinicopathological significance of wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. It has been reported that Wnt signaling pathway plays an important role in Esophageal Cancer progression, metastasis and invasion. However the clinicopathological significance of Wnt2, GSK3β, and β-catenin in ESCC has been little reported. In the present study, the aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic and prognosis roles of Wnt2, GSK3β, and β-catenin in ESCC tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  265 ESCC samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry using Wnt2, GSK3β, and β-catenin antibodies. Then, correlation of Wnt2, GSK3β, and β-catenin expression with clinicopathological features and prognosis of ESCC patients was statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cytoplasmic Wnt2 overexpression was detected in 55.5% (147 of 265) ESCCs, which was significantly correlated with the degree of differentiation (P=0.031). Cytoplasmic GSK3β overexpression was detected in 7.2% (19 of 265) ESCCs, and aberrant β-catenin expression was identified in 54.3% (144 of 265) of ESCCs. The positive rate of Wnt2 significantly increased with the malignant degree of Kazak ESCC patients. The aberrant β-catenin expression in GSK3β-negative ESCC was significantly associated with the ethnic, tumor size, tumor location, degree of differentiation, AJCC stage, lymph node status. Furthermore, the expression of β-catenin implicated the ethnic difference (P=0.019). In Kaplan-Meier curve analysis, no significant correlation was observed between the expression of Wnt2, GSK3β, β-catenin and the poor prognosis of ESCCs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The aberrant β-catenin expression could be an adverse underlying factor in carcinogenesis and progression of ESCC. There was a different statistical signification for β-catenin in Kazakhs to compare with Hans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University Urumqi 830054, China.
authors.forename: Feiyan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Hypertension Center of The People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Hypertension Institute of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Urumuqi 830001, Xinjiang, China.
authors.forename: Keming
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University Urumqi 830054, China.
authors.forename: Wenli
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University Urumqi 830054, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University Urumqi 830054, China.
authors.forename: Yuqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D000077277:Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; D005260:Female; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway / Q000502:physiology*; D051154:Wnt2 Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C495244:WNT2 protein, human; D051154:Wnt2 Protein; D051176:beta Catenin; C000605506:GSK3B protein, human; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3
keywords: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; GSK3β; Wnt2; clinicopathology; immunohistochemistry; β-catenin