Chen Hsin-I, Tsai Hung-Pei, Chen Yi-Ting, Tsao Shu-Chuan, Chai Chee-Yin
Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100, Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan.
Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Pathol Oncol Res. 2016 Oct;22(4):699-705. doi: 10.1007/s12253-016-0051-z. Epub 2016 Mar 15.
Esophageal cancer is among the most aggressive gastrointestinal tract malignancies, and squamous cell carcinoma is the most common subtype. Although both autophagy and apoptosis involve programmed cell death, autophagy also maintains cell survival by recycling cellular waste. The relationship between autophagy and apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is unclear. Autophagic and apoptotic markers of ESCC were detected by immunohistochemical staining (IHC) in 43 ESCC patients treated during 2007-2011. Chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier method were used to determine how clinicopathological parameters were related to IHC results for LC3B, Beclin-1 and caspase-3 (CASP-3). Correlations among Beclin-1, LC3B, and CASP-3 were analyzed by Spearman rho. The statistical analyses revealed no clinicopathological parameters that significantly correlated with expressions of Beclin-1, LC3B, and CASP-3. However, low CASP-3 expression and high LC3B expression revealed by IHC were predictors of a poor prognosis. Additionally, LC3B expression had a significant negative correlation with CASP-3 expression. Autophagy is antagonistic to apoptosis and predicts poor overall survival in ESCC.
食管癌是侵袭性最强的胃肠道恶性肿瘤之一，鳞状细胞癌是最常见的亚型。虽然自噬和凋亡都涉及程序性细胞死亡，但自噬也通过循环利用细胞废物来维持细胞存活。食管鳞状细胞癌（ESCC）中自噬与凋亡之间的关系尚不清楚。对2007年至2011年期间接受治疗的43例ESCC患者，采用免疫组织化学染色（IHC）检测ESCC的自噬和凋亡标志物。采用卡方检验和Kaplan-Meier方法来确定临床病理参数与LC3B、Beclin-1和半胱天冬酶-3（CASP-3）的IHC结果之间的关系。采用Spearman等级相关分析Beclin-1、LC3B和CASP-3之间的相关性。统计分析显示，没有临床病理参数与Beclin-1、LC3B和CASP-3的表达显著相关。然而，IHC显示低CASP-3表达和高LC3B表达是预后不良的预测指标。此外，LC3B表达与CASP-3表达呈显著负相关。自噬与凋亡相互拮抗，并且可预测ESCC患者的总生存期较差。
