Esophageal Cancer
Copyright ©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 28, 2007; 13(4): 503-508
Published online Jan 28, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i4.503
Chromosome 11 aneusomy in esophageal cancers and precancerous lesions- an early event in neoplastic transformation: An interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization study from south India
Vasavi Mohan, Shivani Ponnala, Hemakumar M Reddy, Radha Sistla, Rachel A Jesudasan, Yog Raj Ahuja, Qurratulain Hasan
Vasavi Mohan, Shivani Ponnala, Qurratulain Hasan, Department of Genetics & Molecular Medicine, Kamineni Hospitals, LB Nagar, Hyderabad, AP, India
Hemakumar M Reddy, Rachel A Jesudasan, Department of Molecular Biology, Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, AP, India
Radha Sistla, Department of Pathology, Kamineni Hospitals, Hyderabad, AP, India
Yog Raj Ahuja, Department of Genetics, Vasavi Hospital and Research Center, Lakdi-ka-pul, Hyderabad, AP, India
Qurratulain Hasan, Department of Genetics, Bhagwan Mahavir Medical Research Center, AC Guards, Hyderabad, AP, India
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Vasavi Mohan, Department of Genetics & Molecular Medicine, Kamineni Hospitals, LB Nagar, Hyderabad 500068, Andhra Pradesh, India. greenpastures@gmail.com
Telephone: +91-98840-02982 Fax: +91-40-24022277
Received: October 6, 2006
Revised: November 2, 2006
Accepted: November 27, 2006
Published online: January 28, 2007
Abstract

AIM: To detect aneusomic changes with respect to chromosome 11 copy number in esophageal precancers and cancers wherein the generation of cancer-specific phenotypes is believed to be associated with specific chromosomal aneuploidies.

METHODS: We performed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on esophageal tissue paraffin sections to analyze changes in chromosome 11 copy number using apotome-generated images by optical sectioning microscopy. Sections were prepared from esophageal tumor tissue, tissues showing preneoplastic changes and histologically normal tissues (control) obtained from patients referred to the clinic for endoscopic evaluation.

RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that aneusomy was seen in all the cancers and preneoplastic tissues, while none of the controls showed aneusomic cells. There was no increase in aneusomy from precancers to cancers.

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that evaluation of chromosome 11 aneusomy in esophageal tissue using FISH with an appropriate signal capture-analysis system, can be used as an ancillary molecular marker predictive of early neoplastic changes. Future studies can be directed towards the genes on chromosome 11, which may play a role in the neoplastic transformation of esophageal precancerous lesions to cancers.

Keywords: Esophageal cancer; Aneusomy; Chromosome 11; Fluorescence in situ hybridization; Early detection