Abstract:
Objective To investigate the expression pattern of stem cell factor HIWI and the significance of this pattern in the diagnosis and prognosis of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).
Methods The expression of HIWI in 153 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens was characterized using immunohistochemistry.The correlations between the clinicopathological features and the expression of HIWI in esophageal squamous cancer were analyzed using crosstabs analysis.The survival curve regarding the expression of HIWI was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.
Results HIWI immunoreactivity was observed in both the nucleus and cytoplasm of the ESCC.The expression level of HIWI in the cytoplasm was significantly associated with the histological grade(P=0.011, χ2=9.075) and the T stage(P=0.035, χ2=8.589).Patients with high HIWI expression tumors had poorer overall survival than those with low cytoplasmic expression tumors(P < 0.001, χ 2= 17.05).
Conclusion Higher cytoplasmic expression levels of stem cell factor HIWI in esophageal squamous carcinoma were significantly associated with higher histological grade and T stage, as well as poorer overall survival of the patients, making HIWI in cytoplasm an independent prognostic factor for survival.