Clinical significance of phospholipase A2 group IIA (PLA2G2A) expression in primary resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

AIM

The aim of this study was to clarify the clinico-pathological outcome and prognostic significance of phospholipase A2 group IIA (PLA2G2A) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Immunohistochemical staining for PLA2G2A was performed on surgical specimens obtained from 132 patients with ESCC, and 43 from matched adjacent non-malignant sites. Differences in PLA2G2A expression and clinical characteristics were compared by χ2 test. Correlations between prognostic outcomes and with PLA2G2A expression were investigated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

Immunoreactivity of PLA2G2A was observed in 32% (42 of 132) of ESCC tissues compared with negative staining in matched adjacent non-malignant sites. In addition, PLA2G2A expression inversely correlated with pathological classification (p < 0.05 for T, N, and M classifications) and clinical staging (p = 0.03). Furthermore, patients with positive PLA2G2A had prolonged overall survival (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Reduced PLA2G2A expression may be a risk factor for advanced clinicopathological classification and poor patient survival. These findings suggest that PLA2G2A may serve as a useful marker for the prognostic evaluation of ESCC patients.