To the editor:
I read with great interest the article by Han et al. in a recent issue of your esteemed journal [Citation1]. The article is highly thought provoking. The past few years have seen the emergence of new data that establishes a significant role of IEX-1 in tumor carcinogenesis and pathogenesis.
For instance, nearly 53% of pancreatic cancers demonstrate IEX-1 as detected by immunohistochemistry methods. Interestingly, attenuated serosal infiltration is seen in pancreatic carcinomas that express IEX-1 [Citation2]. As a result, improved clinical outcomes are being seen in pancreatic tumors that express IEX-1. Similarly, IEX-1 deficiency protects against colonic cancer [Citation3]. Similarly, accentuated expression of IEX-1 is seen in breast cancer cells resistant to hydroxytamoxifen [Citation4].
Further large-scale studies are needed to fully elaborate the role of IEX-1 in tumor carcinogenesis.
REFERENCES
- Han L, Geng L, Liu X, Shi H, He W, Wu MX. Clinical significance of IEX-1 expression in ovarian carcinoma. Ultrastruct Pathol. 2011;35:260–266.
- Sasada T, Azuma K, Hirai T, et al. Prognostic significance of the immediate early response gene X-1 (IEX-1) expression in pancreatic cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2008;15:609–617.
- Ustyugova IV, Zhi L, Abramowitz J, Birnbaumer L, Wu MX. IEX-1 deficiency protects against colonic cancer. Mol Cancer Res. 2012.
- Semlali A, Oliva J, Badia E, Pons M, Duchesne MJ. Immediate early gene X-1 (IEX-1), a hydroxytamoxifen regulated gene with increased stimulation in MCF-7 derived resistant breast cancer cells. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2004;88:247–259.