MicroRNA expression profiles in children with caustic esophageal stricture

• Grant number: 15/03287-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2015
• End date: July 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Erika Veruska Paiva Ortolan
• Grantee: Graziele do Vale Pires
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Caustic esophageal injury remains a serious public health problem in the pediatric population. Around 80% of the caustic documented injuries occur in children and of these, 85% are accidental. Despite contact with oral mucosa usually cause intense pain and vomiting, ingestion of small amount may be sufficient to result in severe morbidity and mortality. Acute and chronic complications resulting from caustic ingestion may be devastating. In long-term follow up, esophageal stricture may occur, requiring endoscopic dilatation procedures, and in more severe cases, esophagectomy bypass. There is also an increased risk of esophageal carcinoma, the worst sequel. The incidence of malignancy in this group of patients is significantly higher than in the general population, usually from 10 to 40 years after the accident, with risk 1000-3000 fold higher for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus (SCCE), when compared to patients at the same age group. Serial biopsies for tracking dysplasias are recommended for patients followed by severe caustic lesions, aiming early detection of premalignant changes. No studies have verified the presence and magnitude of damage to DNA in a sample of esophageal tissue obtained from patients with corrosive stricture. The diagnosis of such nuclear lesions and their proper follow-up, beyond the targeted therapeutic potential, could provide a marker in the early diagnosis of these patients SCCE. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that are involved in many important biological processes, including differentiation, cell death and proliferation. The advances in the discovery of miRNAs as regulators of gene expression make them attractive targets as biomarkers for the development of new strategies for early diagnosis of diseases such as SCCE. This study aims to determine the global expression profile of miRNAs in cells of the esophageal mucosa of children with caustic ingestion injuries, aiming early diagnosis of malignant transformation.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE OLIVEIRA JUNIOR, WILSON ELIAS; FELIX, TAINARA FRANCINI; PIRES, GRAZIELLE VALE; LOPEZ LAPA, RAINER MARCO; SEVERINO, FABIO EDUARDO; TERRA, SIMONE ANTUNES; TOLEDO DE ARRUDA LOURENCAO, PEDRO LUIZ; REIS, PATRICIA PINTOR S.; PAIVA ORTOLAN, ERIKA VERUSKA. MicroRNA expression profiles in the esophagus of children with caustic stenosis: A pathway towards esophageal cancer?. JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC SURGERY, v. 55, n. 10, p. 2144-2149, OCT 2020. (15/03287-4)