Galectin‐1 expression is associated with the response and survival following preoperative chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The galectin‐1 has been found to be involved in poor outcomes after treatment of a variety of cancers. To the best of our knowledge, however, the significance of galectin‐1 expression in the sensitivity to chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) of patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. Expression levels of galectin‐1 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and correlated with the treatment outcome in 93 patients with locally advanced ESCC who received preoperative CCRT between 1999 and 2012. Galectin‐1 expression was significantly associated with the pathological complete response (pCR). The pCR rates were 36.1% and 13.0% (p = 0.01) in patients with low and high galectin‐1 expression, respectively. Univariate analyses revealed that galectin‐1 overexpression, clinical 7th American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage III and a positive surgical margin were significant factors of worse overall survival and disease‐free survival. In multivariate analyses, galectin‐1 overexpression and a positive surgical margin represented the independent adverse prognosticators. Therefore, galectin‐ 1 expression both affects the pCR and survival in patients with locally advanced ESCC receiving preoperative CCRT. Our results suggest that galectin‐1 may be a potentially therapeutic target for patients with ESCC treated with preoperative CCRT.