Reports of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

en Update on the Association of CD44 Expression with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Invasion ایمنی شناسی Immunology مقالات اصلی Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;">Background: Esophageal cancer (EC) is an aggressive gastrointestinal tumor necessitating novel prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. It is essential to identify important markers for diagnosing malignancy and predicting outcomes. Understanding gene functions in signaling pathways and early cancer detection are vital for reducing EC mortality. CD44 upregulation is linked to cancer stem cells (CSC), metastasis, poor prognosis, and treatment response. CD44v6, a variant of CD44, plays a pivotal role in tumor invasion and metastasis by influencing the extracellular matrix, promoting cell motility, and suppressing cancer cell apoptosis. Methods: This study investigated CD44v6 expression in tumor and tumor-free tissues of the esophagus in 50 esophageal squamous cells carcinomas (ESCC) patients using real-time PCR. The aim was to assess its prognostic value and its correlation with tumor invasion. Results: Significant overexpression of CD44v6 mRNA was detected in 9 out of 50 tumor specimens (18%, p = 0.0001). CD44v6 expression showed an inverse correlation with tumor cell metastasis to lymph nodes (p = 0.047). Among the 21 patients with lymph node metastasis, 5 (23%) exhibited CD44v6 overexpression. Additionally, CD44v6 expression was linked to the tumor stage (p = 0.008). Specifically, 2 out of 9 patients with stage I tumors (22.2%), 4 out of 9 with stage II tumors (44.4%), and 3 out of 9 with stage III tumors (33.3%) showed CD44v6 overexpression. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that lower CD44v6 expression at the RNA level correlates with increased tumor invasion and more advanced stages in ESCC.  </div> CD44v6, Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, Gene expression, Invasion. 10 18 http://rbmb.net/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1720-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Afsane Fadaee 100319475328460021976 100319475328460021976 No Student Research Committee, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran & Immunology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran & Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Ramiar Kamal Kheder 100319475328460021977 100319475328460021977 No Medical Laboratory Science Department, College of Science, University of Raparin, Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq & Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq. Roaa Saleem Otaiwe Alrawi 100319475328460021978 100319475328460021978 No Al-Iraqia University, College of Dentistry, Baghdad, Iraq. Maedeh Nojoumi 100319475328460021979 100319475328460021979 No Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Seyed-Alireza Esmaeili 100319475328460021980 100319475328460021980 No Immunology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran & Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Atena Mansouri mansouri_atena@bums.ac.ir. 100319475328460021981 100319475328460021981 Yes Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.