Fibronectin And Laminin Are Related To Malignant Properties Of Tumor Through Affecting Mesenchyme In Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Non-collagenous extracellular matrix fibronectin (FN) and laminin (LN) located on the epithelial basement membranes were deemed to prevent tumor cells from invading interstitial substance. Whereas emerging evidences bring to our attention in the process their crucial roles of promoting evolution in several tumors. We investigated the fibronectin and laminin expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues, as well as their associations with the densities of microvessels and stromal myofibroblasts (MFs) in tumor mesenchyme, finally analyzed their clinical significance. 53 tumor specimens were collected. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the levels of fibronectin and laminin expression in tumor tissues, and the densities of microvessels and stromal myofibroblasts in tumor mesenchyme. The fibronectin and laminin expression in ESCC tissues were conspicuously abundant. Fibronectin upregulation was proportionate to high microvessels density (MVD) (P = 0.008) and plentiful stromal myofibroblasts (P = 0.016). Analogously, laminin expression had positive relationships with MVD (P = 0.039) and quantity of stromal myofibroblasts (P = 0.023). Their respective associations with TNM stage (FN: P = 0.000, LN: P = 0.004) and venous invasion (FN: P = 0.002, LN: P = 0.011) were verified to be intimate. Moreover, survival analyses revealed statistical discrepancies between outcomes of the patients with negative/weak/moderate and strong expression patterns of both fibronectin and laminin, however their values of predicting prognosis independently were skeptical. We proposed that the upregulated fibronectin and laminin in ESCC tissues were related to the malignant properties of tumor through establishing a permissive environment for tumor invasion and metastasis.