beta 1 integrin expression in adenocarcinoma of Barrett's esophagus

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In vitro and in vivo studies did not show that beta 1 inte grin expression is associated with malignant transformation or that it is o f prognostic value in some malignant tumors. There are no data on the expre ssion or prognostic value of beta 1 integrins in adenocarcinoma of Barrett' s esophagus. METHODOLOGY: We assessed the expression pattern and the prognostic impact o f beta 1 integrins in paraffin-embedded specimens of 41 patients with adeno carcinoma of Barrett's esophagus by immunochemistry, At the time of investi gation, neither histomorphological parameters nor the survival time were kn own. RESULTS: There was no correlation between histomorphological parameters and the expression of beta 1 integrins. The expression of pi integrins had no influence on long term survival. There was a relationship between the progn osis and the following histopathological parameters: pT, pN and pM category , the UICC stage, the presence of lymphangiosis, and the DNA content of the tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results obtained in this study did not show th at the expression of beta 1 integrins was of prognostic value in patients w ith adenocarcinoma of Barrett's esophagus. Further studies in a larger numb er of patients are required to confirm the results obtained in this investi gation.