Biological And Clinicopathological Significance Of Cripto-1 Expression In The Progression Of Human ESCC

Human Cristo-1, a member of the EGF-CFC family, is involved in embryonic development, embryonicstem cell maintenance, and tumor progression. It also participates in multiple cell signalingpathways including Wnt, Notch, and TGF-β. Remarkably, it is expressed in cancer stem cell (CSCs)compartments boosting tumor cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. Although Cripto-1 isoverexpressed in a variety of human malignant tumors, its expression in esophageal squamous cellcarcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the possible oncogenic roleof Cripto-1 in ESCC progression and elucidate its association with clinicopathological parameters inpatients. In this study, Cripto-1 expression in 50 ESCC tissue samples was analyzed and compared tocorresponding margin-normal esophageal tissues using quantitative real-time-PCR. Cripto-1 wasoverexpressed in nearly 40% of ESCC samples compared with normal tissue samples. Significantcorrelations were observed between Cripto-1 expression and tumor differentiation grade,progression stage, and location (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that overexpression of Cripto-1 isinvolved in the development of ESCC. Further assessment will be necessary to determine the role ofCripto-1 cross talk in ESCC tumorigenesis.