Update on the Association of CD۴۴ Expression with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Invasion

Background: Esophageal cancer (EC) is an aggressive gastrointestinal tumor necessitating novel prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. It is essential to identify important markers for diagnosing malignancy and predicting outcomes. Understanding gene functions in signaling pathways and early cancer detection are vital for reducing EC mortality. CD۴۴ upregulation is linked to cancer stem cells (CSC), metastasis, poor prognosis, and treatment response. CD۴۴v۶, a variant of CD۴۴, plays a pivotal role in tumor invasion and metastasis by influencing the extracellular matrix, promoting cell motility, and suppressing cancer cell apoptosis. Methods: This study investigated CD۴۴v۶ expression in tumor and tumor-free tissues of the esophagus in ۵۰ esophageal squamous cells carcinomas (ESCC) patients using real-time PCR. The aim was to assess its prognostic value and its correlation with tumor invasion. Results: Significant overexpression of CD۴۴v۶ mRNA was detected in ۹ out of ۵۰ tumor specimens (۱۸%, p = ۰.۰۰۰۱). CD۴۴v۶ expression showed an inverse correlation with tumor cell metastasis to lymph nodes (p = ۰.۰۴۷). Among the ۲۱ patients with lymph node metastasis, ۵ (۲۳%) exhibited CD۴۴v۶ overexpression. Additionally, CD۴۴v۶ expression was linked to the tumor stage (p = ۰.۰۰۸). Specifically, ۲ out of ۹ patients with stage I tumors (۲۲.۲%), ۴ out of ۹ with stage II tumors (۴۴.۴%), and ۳ out of ۹ with stage III tumors (۳۳.۳%) showed CD۴۴v۶ overexpression. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that lower CD۴۴v۶ expression at the RNA level correlates with increased tumor invasion and more advanced stages in ESCC.

کلیدواژه ها:

CD۴۴v۶ ، Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma ، Gene expression ، Invasion.