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Updated: Jan 4, 2026
Development of Compendium for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 12, 2024
PRAME Expression as a Potential Biomarker for Hematogenous Recurrence of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Hayato Baba1,2, Mitsuro Kanda3, Koichi Sawaki2
1Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
Background/Aim:
To investigate the function of preferentially expressed antigen of melanoma (PRAME) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
Materials And Methods:
mRNA expression levels of PRAME were analyzed in resected esophageal tissues of 150 ESCC patients and correlated with clinicopathological parameters. We also investigated the potential function of PRAME by analyzing coordinately expressed genes in 13 ESCC cell lines.
Results:
RT-qPCR analysis of clinical samples revealed aberrantly high PRAME expression in tumors compared with normal esophageal tissues. High PRAME expression was significantly associated with shorter disease-specific survival and hematogenous recurrence, but not with overall recurrence. The cumulative incidence of hematogenous recurrence was significantly greater for patients with high compared to those with low PRAME expression. In vitro, PCR array analysis revealed that PRAME was coordinately expressed with EGFR, ITGB, and TCF3.
Conclusion:
PRAME is overexpressed in ESCC tissues and may serve as a novel biomarker for predicting hematogenous recurrence.
Insights
Preferentially expressed antigen of melanoma (PRAME) is highly expressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tumors. High PRAME levels predict a greater risk of hematogenous recurrence in ESCC patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a significant global health concern.
- Preferentially expressed antigen of melanoma (PRAME) is a gene with known roles in various cancers.
- The specific role of PRAME in ESCC remains to be fully elucidated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression and functional significance of PRAME in ESCC.
- To determine if PRAME can serve as a prognostic biomarker in ESCC patients.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to measure PRAME mRNA expression in 150 resected ESCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues.
- Correlation analysis was performed between PRAME expression levels and clinicopathological parameters.
- In vitro studies using 13 ESCC cell lines analyzed genes coordinately expressed with PRAME via PCR array.
Main Results:
- PRAME mRNA expression was significantly elevated in ESCC tumor tissues compared to normal esophageal tissues.
- High PRAME expression was strongly associated with shorter disease-specific survival and an increased incidence of hematogenous recurrence.
- PRAME showed coordinate expression with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), Integrin Beta (ITGB), and Transcription Factor 3 (TCF3) in ESCC cell lines.
Conclusions:
- PRAME is frequently overexpressed in ESCC.
- Elevated PRAME expression is a potential predictive biomarker for hematogenous recurrence in ESCC.
- Further research into PRAME's functional role may reveal therapeutic targets for ESCC.
