Purpose: Gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies are among the 5 most common cancers in Iran, and their high associated mortality rates are attributable to late diagnosis and poor treatment options. SOX2, a transcription factor necessary for maintenance and induction of pluripotency and self-renewal, has been identified as a lineage-survival oncogene in several cancers. In the present study, we examined SOX2 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), gastric adenocarcinoma and colon squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), as well as normal GI tissues, in Iranian patients.
Methods: To elucidate the role of SOX2 in GI carcinogenesis, formalin-fixed tissues were analyzed using immunohistochemistry (IHC), while frozen ESCC samples were studied by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).
Results: IHC studies indicated presence of SOX2+ cells in a subset of cancerous and normal tissues of stomach and colon, while no significant difference was observed between groups, and no correlation was found between SOX2 expression and tumors grades. Nevertheless, studying ESCC samples with IHC and qRT-PCR revealed overexpression of SOX2 in comparison with normal adjacent tissues.
Conclusions: The present results are in line with other studies and indicate SOX2 up-regulation in ESCC; however, due to our small sample size and contradictory reports, more research is needed to determine the importance of SOX2 in GI cancers.