Upper Gastrointestinal and General Surgery Unit, First Department of Surgery, "Laikon" General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece;
Clinical, Experimental Surgery & Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Anticancer Res. 2022 Jun;42(6):2813-2818. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.15762.
Esophageal adenocarcinoma (AC) develops through Barrett's esophagus (BE) and columnar dysplasia, preceded by gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is increased with tobacco smoking and alcohol abuse. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) can act as prognostic factors and potential therapeutic targets of esophageal cancer. TLRs, an important family of pattern recognition receptors, allow immune cells to recognize pathogens triggering inflammation. TLR-signaling pathway activates signaling-elements, regulating inflammatory response, possibly correlating to carcinogenesis. In the normal esophagus, TLRs recognize molecular patterns on microorganisms and inflammatory response produced by tissue-damage. TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, and TLR9 are expressed at increasing levels from GERD to AC. TLR4 is a mediator of proliferation in AC, while TRL1 and TLR4 over-expression in AC is related to poor prognosis and metastasis. Additionally, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR9 expression in SCC has been associated with lymphatic metastasis, whereas increased expression of TLR7 and TLR9 has been also associated with advanced disease. It seems that TLR expression can indicate esophageal metaplasia, dysplasia, and cancer. Herein, we aimed to present all available data regarding the relation of TLRs and esophageal cancer. They may represent significant and valuable diagnostic or prognostic factors for esophageal cancer.
食管腺癌 (AC) 经过巴雷特食管 (BE) 和柱状上皮异型增生发展而来，其发生前有胃食管反流病 (GERD)。食管鳞状细胞癌 (SCC) 的发病率随着吸烟和酗酒而增加。Toll 样受体 (TLRs) 可作为食管癌的预后因素和潜在治疗靶点。TLRs 作为模式识别受体的重要家族，使免疫细胞能够识别引发炎症的病原体。TLR 信号通路激活信号元件，调节炎症反应，可能与癌变相关。在正常食管中，TLRs 识别微生物上的分子模式和组织损伤引起的炎症反应。TLR3、TLR4、TLR5 和 TLR9 的表达水平从 GERD 到 AC 逐渐升高。TLR4 是 AC 增殖的介质，而 AC 中 TLR1 和 TLR4 的过表达与不良预后和转移有关。此外，SCC 中 TLR3、TLR4 和 TLR9 的表达与淋巴转移有关，而 TLR7 和 TLR9 的高表达也与晚期疾病有关。TLR 表达似乎可以指示食管化生、异型增生和癌症。在此，我们旨在呈现关于 TLRs 与食管癌关系的所有现有数据。它们可能是食管癌有意义和有价值的诊断或预后因素。
