3D Model Could Enable Earlier Detection of Esophageal Cancer

A new model of esophageal cancer holds promise as an experimental platform to investigate the etiology and possible treatment of this devastating disease.

There are two main types of esophageal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the third most common cancer of the digestive tract and the seventh leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It is a highly malignant cancer and generally carries a poor prognosis, owing to its predominantly late detection.

A team of scientists from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA, USA), led by Dr. Anil Rustgi, developed the new model of ESCC. "This model allows us to dissect the specific genetic alterations that are important in the initiation and progression of esophageal squamous cell cancer, which holds promise for squamous cell cancers arising in other sites, such as the skin, lung, head, and neck,” explained Dr. Rustgi.

Dr. Rustgi and colleagues developed a tissue-engineered, organotypic three-dimensional (3D) culture system of esophageal squamous cell cancer. They found that ESCC results from a combination of genetic mutations (namely, epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR] overexpression, hTERT activation, and p53 mutation), as well as changes in the tumor microenvironment.

Dr. Rustgi emphasized, "we have found that altering the stromal fibroblasts can influence the extent of tumor cell migration and invasion. Thus, previously underappreciated, it is the interplay of tumor cells and fibroblasts that has great meaning on how cancer arises and progresses.”

The model was described in the November 1, 2007, issue of the journal Genes and Development.


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