Personalized and targeted therapy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: an update

Abstract

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a deadly disease that requires extensive research. In this review, we update recent progress in the research area of targeted therapy for ESCC. SOX2 and its associated proteins (e.g., ΔNP63α), which regulate lineage survival of ESCC cells, are proposed as therapeutic targets. It is believed that targeting the lineage-survival mechanism may be more effective than targeting other mechanisms. With the advent of a new era of personalized targeted therapy, there is a need to move from the tumor-centric model into an organismic model.

Keywords: SOX2; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; lineage survival; targeted therapy.

Figure 1

(A) SOX2 and (B) TP63 amplification in human cancers. Data are obtained from the TCGA database (www.cbioportal.org). Only cancers with a high incidence of gene amplification (> 5%) are included. There is an obvious overlap between SOX2 and TP63 amplification in these cancers.

Figure 2

An organismic model of ESCC, as opposed to the tumor-centric model, calls for attention to the organism and the tumor microenvironment.