Field Of Vision
Copyright ©2012 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2012; 18(30): 3931-3935
Published online Aug 14, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i30.3931
S100A4 in esophageal cancer: Is this the one to blame?
Jianyuan Chai, M Mazen Jamal
Jianyuan Chai, Laboratory of GI Injury and Cancer, VA Long Beach Healthcare System, Long Beach, CA 90822, United States
M Mazen Jamal, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92868, United States
Author contributions: Both authors contributed equally.
Supported by The Department of Veterans Affairs of the United States
Correspondence to: Jianyuan Chai, PhD, Research and Development Office (09-151), Laboratory of GI Injury and Cancer, VA Long Beach Healthcare System, 5901 E. Seventh Street, Long Beach, CA 90822, United States. jianyuan.chai@va.gov
Telephone: +1-562-8268000 Fax: +1-562-8265675
Received: May 31, 2012
Revised: June 15, 2012
Accepted: June 28, 2012
Published online: August 14, 2012
Abstract

Metastasis is the main reason for cancer-related death. S100A4 is one of the key molecules involved in this event. Several studies have shown that overexpression of S100A4 in non-metastatic cancer cells can make them become metastatic, and knockdown of S100A4 in metastatic cancer cells can curtail their invasive nature. A study by Chen et al[2] published in the World J Gastroenterol 18(9): 915-922, 2012 is a typical example. This study showed in vitro and in vivo evidence that S100A4 expression level determines the invasiveness of esophageal squamous carcinoma. Considering the fact that more than half of the cancer-related deaths are caused by malignancies derived from the digestive system and esophageal cancer is the 4th top contributor to this fraction, this study warrants more attention.

Keywords: Esophageal cancer; S100A4; Metastasis