Figure 1.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) and esophageal carcinogenesis. The figure schematically represents how ECM may affect the genesis and/or development of esophageal tumors. The first layer represents the main classes of ECM constituting proteins involved in esophageal carcinogenesis. The second layer represents ECM phenomena modulated in esophageal tissues as a consequence of the altered protein constitution and function of this compartment. The third layer represents the crucial cellular events impacted by structural and functional alterations occurring in ECM, which may play a crucial role in esophageal carcinogenesis. Arrows indicate the dynamism and hierarchy between the three layers of events.