Expression of cyclin E in dysplasia, carcinoma, and nonmalignant lesions of Barrett esophagus

BACKGROUND, Barrett esophagus (BE) is a condition in which the normal squam ous epithelium of the esophagus is replaced by metaplastic columnar epithel ium. BE is a premalignant lesion because it is the initiating factor in a m etaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence. METHODS. Expression of the proliferation associated molecule cyclin E was i mmunohistochemically determined in metaplastic specialized epithelium (SE; n = 24), low grade dysplasia (LGD; n = 21), high grade dysplasia (HGD; n = 17), and invasive adenocarcinoma (CA; n = 35) from 36 esophagectomy specime ns. In addition, endoscopically obtained samples of SE with minimal inflamm atory changes (n = 11) and SE adjacent to erosions or ulcerations were test ed for cyclin E expression. RESULTS. In the surgical specimens, expression of cyclin E was found in 0 o f 24 SE (0%), 2 of 21 LGD (9.5%), 3 of 17 HGD (17.6%), and 5 of 35 CA (14.3 %). In the biopsy specimens, expression of cyclin E was found in all sample s adjacent to erosions or ulcerations, whereas SE with minimal inflammatory changes was invariably negative for cyclin E. CONCLUSIONS. Accumulation of cyclin E can be found by means of immunohistoc hemistry in premalignant and malignant lesions in BE as well as in regenera tive metaplastic epithelium. The determination of cyclin E expression is th erefore not useful in the identification of BE patients with an increased r isk for the development of carcinoma. (C) 1999 American Cancer Society.