Tumor p53 mutations are a statistically significant predictor of poor outcome in patients with stage I NSCLC.

The HER2 oncogene was recently reported to be amplified and overexpressed in esophageal adenocarcinoma. However, the relationship of HER2 amplification in esophageal adenocarcinoma with prognosis has not been well defined. The scoring systems for clinically evaluating HER2 in esophageal adenocarcinoma are not established. The aims of the study were to establish a HER2 scoring system and comprehensively investigate HER2 amplification and overexpression in esophageal adenocarcinoma and its precursor lesion. Using a tissue microarray, containing 116 cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma, 34 cases of BE, 18 cases of low grade dysplasia and 15 cases of high grade dysplasia, HER2 amplification and overexpression were analyzed by HercepTest and CISH methods. The amplification frequency in an independent series of 116 esophageal adenocarcinoma samples was also analyzed using Affymetrix SNP 6.0 microarrays. In our studies, we have found that HER2 amplification does not associate with poor prognosis in total 232 esophageal adenocarcinoma patients by CISH and high density microarrays. We further confirm the similar frequency of HER2 amplification by CISH (18.10%; 21/116) and SNP 6.0 microarrays (16.4%, 19/116) in esophageal adenocarcinoma. HER2 protein overexpression was observed in 12.1 % (14/116) of esophageal adenocarcinoma and 6.67% (1/15) of HGD. No HER2 amplification or overexpression was identified in BE or LGD. All HER2 protein overexpression cases showed HER2 gene amplification. Gene amplification was found to be more frequent by CISH than protein overexpression in esophageal adenocarcinoma (18.10% vs 12.9%). A modified two-step model for esophageal adenocarcinoma HER-2 testing is recommend for clinical esophageal adenocarcinoma HER-2 trial.

The p53 gene plays a critical role in cell cycle control, the initiation of apoptosis, and in DNA repair.An Arg/Pro polymorphism at codon 72 of the p53 gene alters the ability of the p53 protein to induce apoptosis, influences the behavior of mutant p53, decreases DNA repair capacity, and may be linked with an increased risk of lung cancer.To further define the role of the p53 codon 72 polymorphism on DNA repair, lung cancer risk, and mutant p53 function, we examined the effect of this polymorphism on mutation of the p53 gene and patient survival in non^small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Tumor andnonneoplastic (lung or lymphocyte) samples were collected from182patients with NSCLC. p53 mutations were detected by direct sequencing and/or the GeneChip p53 assay in 93 of 182 (51%) tumors. p53 codon 72 polymorphisms were identified by PCR/RFLP analysis. p53 mutations were significantly (P = 0.01) associated with the number of codon 72 Pro alleles: Pro/Pro homozygotes, 17 of 26 (65%); Arg/Pro heterozygotes, 45 of 79 (57%); and Arg/Arg homozygotes, 31of 77 (40%).The number of codon 72 Pro alleles was independently associated with p53 mutations (odds ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-3.40; P = 0.01) in a multiple logistic regression model. The codon 72 polymorphism did not influence patient survival in either the entire patient group or among patients with p53 mutant tumors. In summary, the p53 Pro allele is associated with an increased frequency of p53 mutations in NSCLC.

These findings show that secondary bile acid stimulation upregulates CDX2 gene expression in both normal and cancer cell lines. They further support the role of bile acids in the pathogenesis of Barrett's esophagus and link the clinical evidence of a high prevalence of luminal bile acids in Barrett's to expression of the gene thought to be responsible for the phenotypic expression of intestinal metaplasia.

Thus, CDX2 induction by DCA w/wo acid occurs through ligand-dependent transactivation of the EGFR. The variations in EGFR degradation pattern with DCA or DCA at pH 5 indicate differential transactivation pathways. The molecular pathogenesis of Barrett's esophagus may occur via bile-stimulated cell signaling through the EGFR.