Expression of ERK1/2 MAPK signaling transduction pathway in esophageal cancers in Kazakh patients / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression variation and significance of ERK1/2 MAPK signaling transduction pathway in the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Kazakh patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression level of p-ERK1/2 after serum starvation and treatment with U0126 inhibitor was detected in esophageal cancer cell line EC9706 by Western blot assay. The mRNA level of total ERK1/2 (t-ERK1/2) and expression level of t-ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 proteins of 25 pairs of ESCC and adjacent normal esophageal mucosal tissues of Kazakh patients were examined and identified by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. The expression of p-ERK1/2 protein was verified by immunohistochemistry in 126 paraffin-embeded specimens, including 19 normal esophageal mucosa, 55 esophageal carcinomas in situ and 52 invasive carcinomas.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>ERK1/2 MAPK signaling transduction pathway was in an active status in the EC9706 cells. The expression level of p-ERK1/2 in Ec9706 cells reached a peak at 10 min after transient serum stimulation, and p-ERK1/2 expression was totally restrained after the treatment with 50 µmol/L U0126. In the 25 pairs of ESCC and adjacent normal mucosa, the t-ERK1 mRNA level was 1.92 ± 3.49 in the ESCC tissues and 3.67 ± 7.47 in the adjacent normal mucosa. The t-ERK1 mRNA level in ESCC tissues was significantly lower than that in adjacent normal mucosa (P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference of t-ERK2 mRNA level between them(P > 0.05). The expression levels of p-ERK1 and p-ERK2 proteins were 0.87 ± 0.14 and 0.79 ± 0.10 in the ESCC tissues, and 1.10 ± 0.13 and 1.32 ± 0.12 in the adjacent normal mucosae. p-ERK1/2 protein in the ESCC tissues was significantly lower than that in the adjacent normal tissue (P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference between their t-ERK1/2 protein levels (P > 0.05). In the 126 cases of paraffin-embeded specimens, positive expressions of both p-ERK1 and p-ERK2 in esophageal cancer tissues were 7.7% (4/52), significantly lower than those in adjacent normal mucosa (31.6%, 6/19) and carcinoma in situ (85.5%, 47/55, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ERK1/2 MAPK signaling pathway is in an active status in esophageal cancer and adjacent normal mucosa. Our results imply that the activation of p-ERK1/2 MAPK signaling transduction pathway plays a role in the early pathogenesis of ESCC in Kazakh patients.</p>

Clinical analysis of 99 young patients with lung cancer in different nationalities in Xinjiang / 中国肺癌杂志

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>To study clinicopathological characteristics and national distribution of lung cancer in patients who were younger than 40 years of age in Xinjiang.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The records of 99 patients who were younger than 40 years of age with lung cancer who were diagnosed in our hospital from September, 1989 to July, 2001 were reviewed. Analyses as to gender, nationalities, misdiagnosis and pathological types were performed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The female had higher prevalence than the male did, the ratio of male to female was 1.75 to 1. The Han race had higher prevalence than other races did. Most of the patients had clinical manifestations (97.0%). Adenocarcinoma and small cell lung cancer were predominant histologic types, which accounted for about 71.1%. The misdiagnostic rate was 61.6%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In young patients with lung cancer, the diffe-rence of incidence between different genders is smaller than that in senile patients. The prevalence of lung can-cer in young people varies in different races in Xinjiang and Han race has the highest prevalence. The malignancy of lung cancer in young patients is high, and most cases are in advanced stage. The misdiagnostic rate is high.</p>