Yu-Kuei Chen

Food intake and the occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma in different sections of the esophagus in Taiwanese men.

OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study was to further elucidate the effect of consuming various foods on the development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in three different sections of the esophagus. METHODS A total of 343 patients with SCC of the esophagus and 755 cancer-free control subjects were recruited for this study from 1996 to 2005. RESULTS We found that intake of vegetables, raw onions/garlic, and fruits are significantly protective against esophageal SSC risk, whereas intake of hot foods can significantly increase its risk. There was a significant inverse relation between the frequency of tea consumption and esophageal SCC risk (P for trend = 0.005), with a 0.5-fold lower risk associated with the intake of unfermented tea (green tea, oolong tea, or jasmine tea). The effects of dietary factors on esophageal SCC were similar in all subsites, with the exception of consumption of coffee. Coffee consumption was more pronounced in having a protective effect in the middle third section compared with the lower third section of the esophagus (adjusted odds ratio 0.4, 95% confidence interval 0.2-0.9), although this protective effect was marginally significant (adjusted odds ratio 0.6, 95% confidence interval 0.4-1.0) against esophageal SCC in all subsites. Our data also suggest that discomfort when eating hot foods may exert a carcinogenic effect by direct contact with the esophageal mucosa and tend to have more harmful effects in the upper than in the lower esophagus. In contrast, vegetables, fruits, and tea with components that are thought to inhibit carcinogenesis by absorbed components affected all subsites similarly. CONCLUSION Our results add additional information that certain dietary components may affect carcinogenesis locally and systemically.

Plasma decorin predicts the presence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Using a microarray technique, we found decorin to be underexpressed, but osteopontin (OPN) to be overexpressed, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study aims to examine whether plasma decorin and OPN plus personal substances use (tobacco, alcohol and areca) can serve as suitable clinical markers to predict the presence of ESCC. In total, 570 archived plasma specimens (275 patients and 295 controls) were collected from 2 medical centers in Taiwan between 2000 and 2008. Decorin and OPN protein levels were measured by ELISA. Means and standard deviation of plasma decorin were 5.6 ± 3.6 ng/ml in case patients, which were significantly lower than those in controls (7.8 ± 3.1, p < 0.0001). Plasma OPN levels in case patients were not significantly different from controls (p = 0.33). When compared to subjects with the lowest quartile of plasma decorin, those with the highest quartile one had a significantly lower risk to have ESCC (Adjusted OR = 0.03, p < 0.001). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed for the combination of plasma decorin and 3 substances use (smoke, alcohol and areca) for the patients compared with the controls. The area under the curve was 88.6% and the optimal cut‐point of ROC curve (any 3 factors) had 73.5% sensitivity and 90.2% specificity with ∼82% of corrected classification. Plasma decorin, but not OPN, is a potential clinical marker for the detection of ESCC. When plasma decorin plus the use of the 3 substances are combined, this factor cluster could be used to detect the presence of ESCC.

Methylation status of retinoic acid receptor beta2 promoter and global DNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Focal hypermethylation in promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes against the background of global hypomethylation is a landmark of carcinogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the methylation status of retinoic acid receptor beta2 (RARβ2) and long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE‐1) in different stages of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Occupational risks of esophageal cancer in Taiwanese men.

This study aims to explore whether certain occupations were associated with the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Taiwan. In a hospital‐based case‐control study, we collected 326 newly diagnosed ESCC patients and 386 age‐matched controls (the ratio of case patients: controls = 1:1–2). All respondents completed a questionnaire, including 33 occupations in which environments potential exposure to cancer‐related hazards are present. Workers with dust and metal exposure were categorized into Groups A and B, respectively. Relative risks for ESCC were estimated by odds ratios adjusting for covariates (AOR). Compared with the controls, farmer/gardener (AOR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.02–4.24) and workers in Group A (AOR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.21–6.47) had significantly higher risk for developing ESCC. A tendency of increased risk was also found in workers in group B (OR = 5.72 95% CI = 2.33–14.03), but such association was not significant after adjusting for other covariates (AOR = 1.57, 95% CI = 0.54–6.61). Our results suggested that farmer/gardener and workers with exposure to dust had a significant excess risk of ESCC. This study added further evidence to the current knowledge that occupational hazards are important in the development of ESCC.

Apoptotic effect of Helicobacter pylori on oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma cells in vitro.

Backbround  The relationship between Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and oesophageal squamous‐cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk is still inconclusive. Our previous study found an inverse association between the two, but its mechanism is still unknown. Thus, we conducted in vitro studies to clarify the issue.