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Roles of PTEN inactivation and PD-1/PD-L1 activation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

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Abstract

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common type of esophageal cancer in China and developing countries. The purpose of this review is to summarize the roles of inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and activation of the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) upon binding to its ligand (PD-L1) in the promotion of ESCC. Studies of ESCC performed in vitro and in vivo indicated that PTEN and PD-L1 function in the regulation of cell proliferation, invasion, and migration; the epithelial-mesenchymal transition; resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy; and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Certain genetic variants of PTEN are related to susceptibility to ESCC, and PTEN and PD-L1 also function in ESCC progression and affect the prognosis of patients with ESCC. There is also evidence that the expression of PD-L1 and PTEN are associated with the progression of certain other cancers. Future studies should further examine the relationship of PD-L1 and PTEN and their possible interactions in ESCC.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Hebei Clinical Research Center for Radiation Oncology and the Oncology Department of Hebei Medical University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 12 Jian Kang Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, P. R. China

    Rong Qiu, Juan Li & Yuxiang Wang

  2. Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 410008, Changsha, Hunan Province, China

    Wenxi Wang

  3. No.12, Jiankang Road, 050011, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China

    Yuxiang Wang

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  1. Rong Qiu
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  3. Juan Li
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Yu-Xiang Wang, Rong Qiu and Wenxi Wang and Juan Li collected relevant articles and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yuxiang Wang.

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Qiu, R., Wang, W., Li, J. et al. Roles of PTEN inactivation and PD-1/PD-L1 activation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Mol Biol Rep 49, 6633–6645 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07246-y

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