Immunohistochemical evidence of association between ghrelin expression and tumor growth in esophageal carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Ghrelin, an orexigenic peptide, is primarily produced and secreted by the gastrointestinal tract. As far as we are aware of, there is no evidence of ghrelin expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Materials and methods: Two hundred and ten patients with ESCC who underwent surgical resection were enrolled in this study. We immunohistochemically investigated ghrelin expression in primary ESCC specimens and analyzed the relationship with clinicopathological factors.

Results: High ghrelin expression was observed in 61 patients (29.0%). Depth of tumor invasion and histological differentiation were statistically associated with ghrelin expression. As for depth of tumor invasion, the deeper it was, the higher was the expression of ghrelin. Well-differentiated tumors had a significantly higher proportion of ghrelin-expressing cells than other types.

Conclusion: Ghrelin expression correlated with tumor depth and tumor differentiation, suggesting an important role of ghrelin in tumor growth in ESCC.

Keywords: Ghrelin; esophageal cancer; tumor progression.