Histopathological Evaluation of PYGO۲ Expression in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background & Objective: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the world's deadliest cancer diseases. Deregulation of developmental signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin is frequently implicated in a wide range of human cancers. The present study was designed to analyze the expression of the Pygopus۲ (PYGO۲) protein, the main co-activator of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, in ESCC tissues and evaluate its probable correlation with clinicopathological features of patients.Methods: In this study, PYGO۲ protein expression was assessed in tumors and margin normal tissues from ۵۰ ESCC patients using immunohistochemical analysis, and its clinicopathological relevance in the patients was evaluated.  Results: A significant PYGO۲ overexpression was observed in %۳۲ of the tumor cells. Interestingly, PYGO۲ expression was significantly correlated with the depth of tumor invasion (P= ۰.۰۲۱).Conclusion: PYGO۲ protein may be highly expressed in ESCC in correlation with the invasiveness of the disease. Therefore, it may be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of invasive ESCC and a putative therapeutic target to inhibit ESCC invasiveness.