Lapatinib inhibits receptor phosphorylation and cell growth and enhances antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity of EGFR- and HER2-overexpressing esophageal cancer cell lines.
The EGFR CA repeat genetic polymorphism may act as a valuable molecular predictor of clinical outcome of esophageal cancer after CCRT and esophagectomy, especially in those with good response to CCRT.
EGFR mutations in esophageal carcinoma are rare but do exist, and thus gefitinib could be included in esophageal cancer treatment regimens by selecting those patients who possess such mutations.
The selection of esophageal cancer patients for future studies with EGFR-TKIs based on the level of EGFR expression in their tumors or SCC histology should be considered.
While more primary esophageal tumors remain to be screened for the mutations at the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR, current observation implies that gefitinib may be worth further investigation for treatment of esophageal cancers.
We review six aspects of the research literature on esophageal cancer: epidemiology and etiology, epidermal growth factor receptor and related growth factor receptors, cell cycle regulatory proteins, transforming growth factor-beta/Smad proteins, mismatch repair genes, and other genes.
Quantitative c-erbB-2 but not c-erbB-1 mRNA expression is a promising marker to predict minor histopathologic response to neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in oesophageal cancer.
Northern blot analysis revealed a fourfold increase (p < 0.01) in EGF-R mRNA levels in the esophageal cancer samples in comparison with normal tissue samples.
To evaluate which molecular biological factors are related to patients' prognosis and recurrence, we checked p53, p16, p21/Waf1, cyclin D1, Ki-67, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Mdm2, Bcl2, E-cadherin and MRP1/CD9 by means of immunohistochemical analysis in 116 cases of oesophageal cancer (R0).
Our results suggest that enhanced transcription of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene is associated with the development of some esophageal cancers.
Thus, changes in gene copy number or level of expression of HER-I or c-myc DNA sequences may play an important role in the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer in this high-risk region.