Background: Recent studies on the role of bcl-2 in malignant tumors have suggested its prognostic significance. The goals of the current study were to determine any correlation between bcl-2 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and histopathology, lymph node metastasis, and clinical variables, and to assess its applicability as a parameter for prognosis.
Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for bcl-2 (clone 124) was performed on archival material from 105 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas. The results were compared among patient subgroups.
Results: bcl-2 was expressed in 58% of esophageal carcinomas, demonstrating positive correlations with a lack of keratinization and an early stage of disease. Lymph node metastasis was significantly less frequently observed in the subset of early stage carcinomas with bcl-2 staining. Univariate analysis revealed significantly longer disease free survival in patients with bcl-2 positive carcinomas than in those bcl-2 negative. bcl-2 expression did not have independent prognostic value in a multivariate survival analysis.
Conclusions: bcl-2 is frequently expressed in esophageal carcinomas, and this expression is positively associated with nonkeratinization and an early stage, whereas it is negatively linked with lymph node metastasis and may indicate a favorable prognosis.