Abstract:

Objective  To study the expressions of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and β-catenin in lesions of Barrett′s esophagus intestinal metaplasia (BEM), cardia intestinal metaplasia (CM) and adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric (AEG), and to investigate the mechanism of carcinogenesis. Methods  BEM specimens (n=33), CM specimens (n=36), and AEG specimens (n=42) were collected to examine the expressions of APC and β-catenin with immunochemical method, RT-PCR and Western blotting.  Results  The expression of APC decreased with the increasing malignancy of lesions. The different positioning sites of β-catenin might be related to the expression of APC in different lesions. The expressions of APC and β-catenin in the BEM group and CM group had no significant difference, and subsequent correlation studies discovered expressions of APC and β-catenin were similar in the BEM group and CM group. Conclusion  BEM and CM may be the same types of lesions, which are risk factors of AEG.

Key words: Adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction, Barrett’s esophagus intestinal metaplasia, β-catenin, Cardia intestinal metaplasia, Adenomatous polyposis coli