Malignant potential of esophageal carcinoma in terms of biological properties

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Abstract
In order to determine the predictability of malignant potential of tumors, the biological characteristics of esophageal cancer cells were examined. The level of sialic acid, wich is known to be related to metastasis, was found to have a positive correlation with the activity of sialyltransferase, but to be in opposition to sialidase activity. Sialic acid in the plasma membrane was shown to be regulated by the activity of these enzymes. Cells rich in GST-π (glutathione S-transferase-π) showed greater resistance to anticancer agents than those with low GST-π, level. The epidermal growth factor (EGF) content was detected by the 125I-hEGF (human-EGF) binding assay. The EGF binding capacity (fmol/mg protein) was higher in metastatic nodes and in primary cancer lesions than in normal esophageal mucosa. DNA histograms were found to be a useful indicator for assessing the prognosis. The two year survival rate of patients with diploid tumors was 92.3% and that of those with nondiploid tumors was 49.4%. These data should assist in the choice of an appropriate treatment and in assessing the prognosis.

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