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World J Gastrointest Oncol. Oct 15, 2026; 18(10): 121843
Published online Oct 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.121843
CHMP2A as a potential prognostic biomarker for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma promotes tumor angiogenesis and cancer progression
Li-Li Ma, Meng-Fei Hao, Mu-Xi Chen, Yu-Jie Lu, Jin-Ting Su, Shu Tong, Jia-Wei Wang, Xin Li, Ling-Yu Wei, Wei-Wei Wang, Xiao-Xuan Duan, Jin-Sheng Wang
Li-Li Ma, Ling-Yu Wei, Jin-Sheng Wang, Department of Pathology, Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi Province, China
Li-Li Ma, Meng-Fei Hao, Mu-Xi Chen, Jin-Ting Su, Shu Tong, Jia-Wei Wang, Xin Li, Ling-Yu Wei, Xiao-Xuan Duan, Jin-Sheng Wang, Department of Pathology, The First Clinical College of Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi Province, China
Li-Li Ma, Ling-Yu Wei, Jin-Sheng Wang, Shanxi Provincial Center for Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Research and Clinical Translation, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi Province, China
Li-Li Ma, Ling-Yu Wei, Jin-Sheng Wang, Four “Batches” Innovation Project of Invigorating Medical through Science and Technology of Shanxi Province-Key Laboratory, Esophageal Cancer Basic Research and Clinical Transformation, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi Province, China
Meng-Fei Hao, Mu-Xi Chen, Yu-Jie Lu, Jin-Ting Su, Shu Tong, Jia-Wei Wang, Xin Li, Ling-Yu Wei, Xiao-Xuan Duan, Central Laboratory of Clinical Research, Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi Province, China
Yu-Jie Lu, Wei-Wei Wang, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Xiao-Xuan Duan and Jin-Sheng Wang.
Author contributions: Duan XX and Wang JS contribute equally to this study as co-corresponding authors; Ma LL, Hao MF, Chen MX, and Lu YJ were responsible for the experimental procedures; Tong S, Li X and Wang JW were responsible for the bioinformatics analyses; Su JT and Duan XX jointly undertook the data analysis; Wang WW and Duan XX drafted the initial manuscript; Wang JS and Wei LY revised the manuscript; and all authors participated in the review and finalization of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: The authors declare that no artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript. All work, including literature search, data analysis, interpretation, and writing, was conducted solely by the authors, who take full responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of the content.
Supported by the Technology Commission Foundation of Shanxi Province, No. 202303021221181; Youth Start-Up Fund of Affiliated HePing Hospital of Changzhi Medical College, No. HPYJ202512, No. HPYJ202215, and No. HPYJ202223; Four “Batches” Innovation Project of Invigorating Medical through Science and Technology of Shanxi Province (Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Basic Research and Clinical Transformation, Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College), No. 2020SYS22; and the Changzhi Esophageal Cancer Research and Transformation Technology Innovation Center, No. 2022cx003.
Institutional review board statement: The present study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College [Approval No. (2026)057].
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no relevant financial or non-financial conflicts of interest.
Data sharing statement: The dataset generated and/or analyzed during this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Jin-Sheng Wang, Department of Pathology, Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, No. 110 South Yan'an Road, Luzhou District, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi Province, China.
wjsczmc@163.com
Received: April 15, 2026
Revised: May 20, 2026
Accepted: June 22, 2026
Published online: October 15, 2026
Processing time: 155 Days and 3.7 Hours
BACKGROUND
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly prevalent and malignant tumor of the digestive system with poor prognosis. CHMP2A promotes formation and progression in multiple tumor types; however, its precise role and clinical relevance in ESCC remain unclear. High CHMP2A expression correlates with lymph node metastasis and immunosuppression in other tumors. We investigated whether CHMP2A is upregulated in ESCC tissues, its correlation with clinical prognosis and potential mechanisms in immune microenvironment modification, cell proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis, migration, and invasion.
AIM
To investigate CHMP2A expression, prognostic value, and functional roles in ESCC progression.
METHODS
This immunological study integrated The Cancer Genome Atlas bioinformatics, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis, and immunohistochemistry on ESCC and paired normal tissues. Eca9706 ESCC cells were transiently transfected with CHMP2A-overexpression plasmids to establish the OE-CHMP2A group. Proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis were assessed, and data were analyzed by Student's t-test (SPSS 21.0/GraphPad Prism; P < 0.05).
RESULTS
CHMP2A mRNA/protein was upregulated in ESCC vs normal tissues. Elevated CHMP2A expression was associated with decreased infiltration of CD8+ T cells and NK cells into the tumor microenvironment and exhibited a negative connection with the expression of immunological checkpoint markers, including PD-1 and CTLA-4. Functional experiments demonstrated that OE-CHMP2A significantly enhanced the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of ESCC cells. Furthermore, the conditioned medium from OE-CHMP2A ESCC cells significantly promoted tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, suggesting a pro-angiogenic role.
CONCLUSION
CHMP2A is associated with ESCC tumor progression, including malignant proliferation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression, serving as a potential prognostic biomarker in ESCC.
Core Tip: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. This study revealed that CHMP2A is significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines, and its high expression predicts poor survival in ESCC patients. Functional assays demonstrated that CHMP2A promotes ESCC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and tumor angiogenesis. Our findings identify CHMP2A as a novel prognostic biomarker in ESCC, potentially informing new strategies for its diagnosis and treatment.
