Accurate Diagnosis of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of Esophagus by New Method

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the esophagus is a rare malignant tumor of the esophagus, which is easily misdiagnosed in clinic. Recently, researchers such as Yang Wulin and Zhao Jiarong of Hefei Institute of Material Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have developed a new technique, which combines traditional histological morphology with new immunological markers to achieve accurate diagnosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the esophagus. It is of great significance for clinical diagnosis and correct design of treatment plan. The results of the study were published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine.

Esophageal cancer is a general term for a class of diseases. In fact, according to the origin of the disease, it can be divided into many types. Tumors may develop in the surface mucosal epithelial cells of the esophagus, loose connective tissue cells in the submucosal layer, and glandular cells. The treatment and prognosis of various esophageal cancers are different, and accurate diagnosis is needed in the early stage. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the esophagus is a rare malignant tumor of the esophagus. Previously, it was mainly observed on the basis of morphology, and it was easy to be misdiagnosed as other types of esophageal cancer. Recently, Hefei Tumor Hospital of Chinese Academy of Sciences admitted a referral patient who could not identify the pathological type. The researchers of Hefei Institute of Material Sciences of Chinese Academy of Sciences first observed that the pathological tissue of the patient was located in the submucosa with three typical structures: tubular, sieve and solid by "staining method", and then used the glandular epithelial marker. The pathological changes were marked by histological and myoepithelial markers. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that with the aggravation of the disease, the pathological structure of the lesion developed from tubular and sieve to solid, and the epithelial markers changed accordingly, showing characteristic changes, indicating that the development of cancer cells was accompanied by special internal molecular changes. This specificity can provide molecular markers for the accurate diagnosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma.