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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
Development of Compendium for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 12, 2024
Correlation between connexin 26 expression and poor prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Takanori Inose1, Hiroyuki Kato, Hitoshi Kimura
1Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan. inose@med.gunma-u.ac.jp
Background:
Failure of gap junction formation affects the development of various types of cancer. We aimed to clarify the clinicopathologic outcome and prognostic significance of connexin (Cx) 26 in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
Methods:
Immunohistochemical staining for Cx26 was performed on surgical specimens obtained from 123 patients with ESCC.
Results:
There was no positive staining for Cx26-specific expression in normal esophageal squamous cells. Primary ESCC with Cx26-positive expression was detected in the cytoplasm of cancer cell nests in 60 cases. Cx26 expression was correlated with N (lymph node metastasis, P = 0.014) and the number of metastatic lymph nodes (P = 0.047). The 5-year survival rates of ESCC patients with Cx26-positive expression were significantly lower than those with Cx26-negative expression (positive, 39.7%; negative, 65.7%; P = 0.007). By multivariate analysis, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) clinical classification (T, P < 0.001; N, P = 0.002; M, P = 0.046) and Cx26 (P = 0.024) were independent prognosis predictors of ESCC.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that abnormal expression of Cx26 participates in the progress of ESCC.