Galectins in Esophageal Cancer: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Esophageal cancer is a disease with poor overall survival. Despite advancements in therapeutic options, the treatment outcome of esophageal cancer patients remains dismal with an overall 5-year survival rate of approximately 20 percent. To improve treatment efficacy and patient survival, efforts are being made to identify the factors that underlie disease progression and that contribute to poor therapeutic responses. It has become clear that some of these factors reside in the tumor micro-environment. In particular, the tumor vasculature and the tumor immune micro-environment have been implicated in esophageal cancer progression and treatment response. Interestingly, galectins represent a family of glycan-binding proteins that has been linked to both tumor angiogenesis and tumor immunosuppression. Indeed, in several cancer types, galectins have been identified as diagnostic and/or prognostic markers. However, the role of galectins in esophageal cancer is still poorly understood. Here, we summarize the current literature with regard to the expression and potential functions of galectins in esophageal cancer. In addition, we highlight the gaps in the current knowledge and we propose directions for future research in order to reveal whether galectins contribute to esophageal cancer progression and provide opportunities to improve the treatment and survival of esophageal cancer patients.

Emerging importance of stool preservation methods in OMICS studies with special focus on cancer biology

“…The dysbiotic esophageal microbiota is associated to an increase in Proteobacteria , Campylobacter , Firmicutes and Fusobacteria. 61 Diet plays an important role in the maintenance of healthy microbiota. For instance, a high fiber diet is associated to abundant levels of Firmicutes and decreased levels of gram‐negative bacteria 62 .…”