In Japan and China, esophageal cancer is common and more than 90% of esophageal cancers are squamous cell carcinoma. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) shows a poor prognosis, but the mechanism of ESCC and target genes for treatment remains unclear. We searched for genes related to ESCC, and identified a novel gene, FLJ11021, which was designated arginine/serine-rich coiled-coil 2 (RSRC2...

Aurora-A/BTAK/STK15 gene which encodes a centrosome-associated kinase is located on chromosome 20q13.2, a highly amplified region in various human tumors. Recent studies have demonstrated the overexpression and amplification of Aurora-A in many malignant human cancers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the amplification and expression of Aurora-A in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma...

Paclitaxel plus cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin treatments are effective strategies for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. This study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel plus cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin as first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. A total of 398 patients with advan...

PURPOSE The p53 gene and its family are important factors for carcinogenesis, prognosis, and chemoresistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. A recently identified ribonucleotide reductase, p53R2, is regulated by p53 for supplying nucleotides to repair damaged DNA. In the present study, we analyzed the expression and clinicopathologic significance of p53 and p53R2 in esophageal squamous c...

The ability to predict the response to chemoradiation therapy (CRT) by contrast-enhanced CT would be valuable for managing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Perfusion CT to predict the response to CRT in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Thirty-one consecutive patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma underwent...

BACKGROUND & AIMS The Notch receptor family regulates cell fate through cell-cell communication. CSL (CBF-1/RBP-jκ, Su(H), Lag-1) drives canonical Notch-mediated gene transcription during cell lineage specification, differentiation, and proliferation in the hematopoietic system, the intestine, the pancreas, and the skin. However, the functional roles of Notch in esophageal squamous epithelial b...

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus is very rare. Further, polypoid type of esophageal cancer is also rare. We have recently treated a case of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma which presented as a 1.3-cm esophageal polyp. A 48-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of a polypoid mass at 36 cm distance from the upper incisor on endoscopic examination, and the result of...

Esophageal cancer (EC) occurs commonly, particularly in Asia, and it is the sixth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide [1]. Esophageal cancer classically happens in one of two forms, squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) arising from the stratified squamous epithelial lining of the organ, and adenocarcinoma (AC) arising from columnar glandular cells that replace the squamous epithelium [2]. Sarco...

Esophageal cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide (410,000 new cases annually)(1). Asian, Middle Eastern, and East African countries have a markedly higher incidence of esophageal cancer than other areas. In the United States, the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and gastroesophageal junction has progressively increased to approximately 70% of all esop...

RATIONALE The deep-rooted pathogenesis of the human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is still uncertain and argumentative. As we know, a lot of cases of esophageal infections, such as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal squamous papilloma (ESP), associated with HPV are reported. However, primary esophageal ulcer infection associated with HPV is unusual. PATIENT CONCERNS Th...