Journal of Nippon Medical School: Vol.70 No.5 page.401

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ArticleTitle Biological Behavior of Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Esophagus

AuthorList Nobutoshi Hagiwara¹, Takashi Tajiri^{1, 2}, Masao Miyashita¹, Koji Sasajima¹, Hiroshi Makino¹, Takeshi Matsutani¹, Yoshikazu Tsuchiya¹, Kaiyo Takubo³ and Kiyohiko Yamashita¹

Affiliation ¹Department of Surgery (I), Nippon Medical School
²Department of Surgery for Organ Function and Biological Regulation (Surgery I), Nippon Medical School, Graduate School of Medicine
³Department of Clinical Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology

Language EN

Volume 70

Issue 5

Year 2003

Page 401-407

Received February 3, 2003)

Accepted April 16, 2003

Keywords mucoepidermoid carcinoma, esophagus, prognosis, immunohistochemistry, p53

Abstract
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus (MEC) is uncommon and has not been fully investigated. The biological behavior and clinical aspects of MEC were studied.

The clinical features of eight patients with MEC were compared with 51 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SCC). Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), p53, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were stained in the resected specimens by immunohistochemistry.

Seven out of 8 cases (87.5%) had stage III by TNM classification. Four cases died of widespread metastases and 2 cases died of local recurrence within 2 years after the surgery. Neither chemotherapy and radiotherapy were effective against MEC. Overall median survival periods were 10.8 months for MEC and 32.1 months for SCC (P<0.05). When patients in stage III alone were compared, MEC tended to have a worse prognosis than SCC (P=0.058). Immunohistochemical studies revealed that the positive rates of PCNA and CEA were significantly higher in MEC than in SCC (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in p53 positive rate.

Esophageal MEC had an aggressive biological nature and was resistant to adjuvant therapies. The poor prognosis of esophageal MEC may be caused by high proliferative and metastatic potential.

Correspondence to Correspondence to Nobutoshi Hagiwara, MD, Department of Surgery for Organ Function and Biological Regulation (Surgery I), Nippon Medical School, Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan
hagiwara/surg1@nms.ac.jp,Haginobu@aol.com

ArticleTitle	Biological Behavior of Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Esophagus
AuthorList	Nobutoshi Hagiwara¹, Takashi Tajiri^{1, 2}, Masao Miyashita¹, Koji Sasajima¹, Hiroshi Makino¹, Takeshi Matsutani¹, Yoshikazu Tsuchiya¹, Kaiyo Takubo³ and Kiyohiko Yamashita¹
Affiliation	¹Department of Surgery (I), Nippon Medical School ²Department of Surgery for Organ Function and Biological Regulation (Surgery I), Nippon Medical School, Graduate School of Medicine ³Department of Clinical Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology
Language	EN
Volume	70
Issue	5
Year	2003
Page	401-407
Received	February 3, 2003)
Accepted	April 16, 2003
Keywords	mucoepidermoid carcinoma, esophagus, prognosis, immunohistochemistry, p53
Abstract	Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus (MEC) is uncommon and has not been fully investigated. The biological behavior and clinical aspects of MEC were studied. The clinical features of eight patients with MEC were compared with 51 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SCC). Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), p53, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were stained in the resected specimens by immunohistochemistry. Seven out of 8 cases (87.5%) had stage III by TNM classification. Four cases died of widespread metastases and 2 cases died of local recurrence within 2 years after the surgery. Neither chemotherapy and radiotherapy were effective against MEC. Overall median survival periods were 10.8 months for MEC and 32.1 months for SCC (P<0.05). When patients in stage III alone were compared, MEC tended to have a worse prognosis than SCC (P=0.058). Immunohistochemical studies revealed that the positive rates of PCNA and CEA were significantly higher in MEC than in SCC (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in p53 positive rate. Esophageal MEC had an aggressive biological nature and was resistant to adjuvant therapies. The poor prognosis of esophageal MEC may be caused by high proliferative and metastatic potential.
Correspondence to	Correspondence to Nobutoshi Hagiwara, MD, Department of Surgery for Organ Function and Biological Regulation (Surgery I), Nippon Medical School, Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan hagiwara/surg1@nms.ac.jp,Haginobu@aol.com