Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
Exp Mol Med. 2020 Apr;52(4):538-547. doi: 10.1038/s12276-020-0412-2. Epub 2020 Apr 1.
Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumor initiation and progression for each cancer type is central to making improvements in both prevention and therapy. Identifying the cancer cells of origin and the necessary and sufficient mechanisms of transformation and progression provide opportunities for improved specific clinical interventions. In the last few decades, advanced genetic manipulation techniques have facilitated rapid progress in defining the etiologies of cancers and their cells of origin. Recent studies driven by various groups have provided experimental evidence indicating the cellular origins for each type of skin and esophageal cancer and have identified underlying mechanisms that stem/progenitor cells use to initiate tumor development. Specifically, cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) is associated with tumor initiation and progression in many cancer types. Recent studies provide data demonstrating the roles of Cox-2 in skin and esophageal malignancies, especially in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) occurring in both sites. Here, we review experimental evidence aiming to define the origins of skin and esophageal cancers and discuss how Cox-2 contributes to tumorigenesis and differentiation.
了解每种癌症类型的肿瘤起始和进展的细胞和分子机制对于改善预防和治疗至关重要。确定癌症的起源细胞以及转化和进展的必要和充分机制为改进特定的临床干预提供了机会。在过去几十年中，先进的遗传操作技术促进了癌症及其起源细胞的病因学的快速发展。最近由多个小组推动的研究提供了实验证据，表明了每种皮肤和食管癌的细胞起源，并确定了干细胞/祖细胞用于启动肿瘤发展的潜在机制。具体而言，环氧化酶-2（Cox-2）与许多癌症类型的肿瘤起始和进展有关。最近的研究提供了数据，表明 Cox-2 在皮肤和食管恶性肿瘤中的作用，特别是在这两个部位发生的鳞状细胞癌（SCC）中。在这里，我们综述了旨在定义皮肤和食管癌起源的实验证据，并讨论了 Cox-2 如何促进肿瘤发生和分化。
