Expression of ATP7A in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its clinical significance.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the expression of P-type copper transporting adenosine triphosphatase ATP7A in the tumor tissues of patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and analyzed its correlation to clinicopathologic features and prognosis of advanced ESCC patients. METHODS: The expression of ATP7A protein in 49 specimens of advanced ESCC patients who were treated with first line cisplatin-based chemotherapy without surgery or radiotherapy, was detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlation of ATP7A expression with clinicopathologic features and prognosis of advanced ESCC patients weas analyzed by SPSS 16.0 statistical software package. RESULTS: values 0.039 and 0.043 respectively). CONCLUSION: ATP7A was positively expressed in the majority of advanced ESCC tissues. The expression level of ATP7A was an important factor affecting tumor tissue's histologic grade, the response to platinum-based chemotherapy and the prognosis of advanced ESCC patients. This indicates that ATP7A might be involved in the genesis and development of ESCC, and could be a resistance marker for platinum-based chemotherapy, and a prognostic factor for survival in patients with ESCC treated by Pt-based chemotherapy.