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Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Development of Compendium for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 12, 2024
Gene expression profiling in porocarcinoma indicates heterogeneous tumor development and substantiates poromas as
Svenja Holst1, Anna K Weber1, Friedegund Meier2,3
1Institute of Human Genetics, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Background And Objectives:
Malignant sweat gland tumors are rare, with the most common being eccrine porocarcinoma (EP). Approximately 18% of benign eccrine poroma (EPO) transit to EP. Previous research has provided first insights into the mutational landscape of EP. However, only few studies have performed gene expression analyses. This leaves a gap in the understanding of EP biology and potential drivers of malignant transformation from EPO to EP.
Methods:
Transcriptome profiling of 23 samples of primary EP and normal skin (NS). Findings from the EP samples were then tested in 17 samples of EPO.
Results:
Transcriptome profiling revealed diversity in gene expression and indicated biologically heterogeneous sub-entities as well as widespread gene downregulation in EP. Downregulated genes included CD74, NDGR1, SRRM2, CDC42, ANXA2, KFL9 and NOP53. Expression levels of CD74, NDGR1, SRRM2, ANXA2, and NOP53 showed a stepwise-reduction in expression from NS via EPO to EP, thus supporting the hypothesis that EPO represents a transitional state in EP development.
Conclusions:
We demonstrated that EP is molecularly complex and that evolutionary trajectories correspond to tumor initiation and progression. Our results provide further evidence implicating the p53 axis and the EGFR pathway. Larger samples are warranted to confirm our findings.
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