Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41217938›Full record

ArticleCancer science2026

Overexpression of Transferrin Receptor in Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer Suggests Poor Prognosis and Potential Therapy.

Naoki Ikenaga, Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Koji Tanaka, Satoshi Serada, Minoru Fujimoto, Kota Momose, Kotaro Yamashita, Tomoki Makino, Takuro Saito, Kazuyoshi Yamamoto and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. A proimmunotoxin nanodrug targeting AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma.Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Naoki IkenagaDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Tsuyoshi TakahashiDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2397-1478
Koji TanakaDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Satoshi SeradaInstitute for Biomedical Sciences Molecular Pathophysiology, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Yahaba, Japan.
Minoru FujimotoDivision of Allergy and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Yahaba, Japan.
Kota MomoseDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Kotaro YamashitaDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Tomoki MakinoDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7918-4217
Takuro SaitoDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1733-5064
Kazuyoshi YamamotoDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Yukinori KurokawaDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Kiyokazu NakajimaDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Tomomi FujiiDepartment of Pathology, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Eiichi MoriiDepartment of Pathology, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Tetsuji NakaInstitute for Biomedical Sciences Molecular Pathophysiology, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Yahaba, Japan.
Hidetoshi EguchiDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2318-1129
Yuichiro DokiDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite recent advancements in multimodal therapies for esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC), the prognosis remains poor. Identifying suitable biomarkers for predicting prognosis and exploring new therapeutic targets are essential to improving treatment outcomes in ESCC. In this study, we utilized proteomic technology to identify the transferrin receptor (TfR), the main cellular iron importer, as a novel tumor antigen in ESCC. The clinicopathological characteristics of TfR were evaluated by immunohistochemistry using ESCC specimens, revealing that high TfR expression was associated with poor prognosis. Knockdown of TfR in ESCC cell lines resulted in a decrease in intracellular iron levels and suppressed the proliferation of ESCC cell lines, inducing cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase by inhibiting cyclin D, cyclin E, and cyclin-dependent kinase 2. Furthermore, the administration of deferoxamine (DFO), an oral iron chelator, induced a decrease in intracellular iron and suppressed the proliferation of ESCC cell lines and an increase in caspase 3 and 7 activity, indicating the induction of apoptosis. In an ESCC xenograft mouse model, the DFO-treated group exhibited decreased serum iron levels and reduced tumor size. Finally, we confirmed that the deficiency of iron in ESCC cell lines induced an increase in TfR expression via upregulation of iron regulatory protein 2. These findings suggest that TfR is an independent prognostic factor in ESCC and that targeting iron metabolism may be a promising therapeutic approach for improving ESCC treatment outcomes.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Squamous CellEsophageal NeoplasmsReceptors, TransferrinAgedAnimalsApoptosisBiomarkers, TumorCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationDeferoxamineEsophageal Squamous Cell CarcinomaFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansIronMaleBiomarkers, TumorDeferoxamineIronReceptors, Transferrincancer therapyesophageal squamous cell canceriron chelatoriron metabolismtransferrin receptor

Identifiers

PMID41217938
PMCPMC12861096

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.