Methods in molecular biology
-
Surgery is the mainstay treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). A major development in surgical therapy for esophageal cancer in the past two or three decades has been the marked reduction in surgical mortality rates as a result of improvement in staging technologies, patient selection, perioperative support systems, and surgical experience. Minimally invasive techniques are also becoming widely adopted. Protocol for surgical management of squamous cell cancer of the esophagus is described herein.
-
Tissue microarray (TMA) is widely used for identifying the expression of markers in many tissues from patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The technology is mostly used in immunohistochemical studies to test the expression of markers and oncoproteins in signalling pathway as well as targeting proteins involved in therapies for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Appropriate use of TMA sections needs consideration of labor, planning, and expertise involved. For the best performance, it is important to design the layout of the TMA as well as use whole-slide scanning for interpretation of the TMA sections.
-
The simple applicability and facile target programming of the CRISPR/Cas9-system abolish the major boundaries of previous genome editing tools, making it the tool of choice for generating site-specific genome alterations. Its versatility and efficacy have been demonstrated in various organisms; however, accurately predicting guide RNA efficiencies remains an organism-independent challenge. Thus, designing optimal guide RNAs is essential to maximize the experimental outcome. Here, we summarize the current knowledge for guide RNA design and highlight discrepancies between different experimental systems.
-
Whole-slide imaging (WSI) contributes to medical education, collaboration, quality assurance, examination, and consultation in pathology. The images obtained from WSI are of high quality and could be stored indefinitely. ⋯ The operation and basic principles of whole-slide imaging of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma are also presented. Common use of WSI will occur with modifications of the whole-slide imaging scanners to adapt to the workflows in diagnostic and research laboratories.
-
Macroscopic examination of the surgical specimen of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by pathologist is important for quality clinical management, research, as well as education purposes. The process includes dissection of the specimen, identification of the lesion, measurements, and taking appropriate samples for histopathological examination. ⋯ In addition, examination of proximal resection margin and circumferential resection margin are important in the cancer. A standardized approach for macroscopic examination by professionals is needed for accurate diagnosis and to optimize the use of the surgical specimen with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.