Thymidine phosphorylase expression causes both the increase of intratumoral microvessels and decrease of apoptosis in...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase), also known as platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor, is upregulated in various human carcinomas.
• Elevated dThdPase expression correlates with increased intratumoral microvessel density (IMVD) and poorer patient prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of dThdPase in apoptosis, IMVD, P53 expression, and patient prognosis in human stages II and III esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC).

Main Methods:

• dThdPase expression was assessed in 78 esophageal SCC samples.
• Intratumoral microvessel density (IMVD) and apoptotic index (AI) were quantified.
• P53 expression and postoperative survival rates were analyzed in relation to dThdPase status.

Main Results:

• dThdPase was expressed in 66.7% of esophageal SCC cases.
• dThdPase-positive SCC showed significantly higher IMVD and lower AI compared to dThdPase-negative cases.
• No significant difference in P53 expression or postoperative survival was observed between the groups.
• A significant inverse correlation was found between AI and IMVD (r = -0.31, P = 0.005).

Conclusions:

• dThdPase expression in esophageal SCC is associated with increased tumor vascularization and reduced apoptosis, suggesting a role in tumor growth.
• Despite not being directly linked to patient prognosis in this study, dThdPase may facilitate tumor progression through a p53-independent pathway.
• Targeting dThdPase could be a potential therapeutic strategy for esophageal SCC.