Abstract:

Objective   To investigate the expression and clinical significance of Mel-18 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC). Methods   Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and corresponding normal tissues of 53 patients were obtained from Department of Chest Surgery, Qianfoshan Hospital of Shandong University. The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of Mel-18 in the cancer and normal tissue. Further, the association between Mel-18 expression and the clinical parameters of the tumors, including gender, tumor location, size， histological differentiation, invasive depth, clinical stage, and lymph node metastases, were analyzed. Results   There was significantly lowered expression of Mel-18 in the carcinoma tissues than that in the corresponding normal tissues(P<0.01). No correlation between the Mel-18 expression and any clinicopathological parameters, such as gender, tumor location, size， histological differentiation and invasive depth, were identified (P>0.05). The expression levels of Mel-18 in TNM stageⅠ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ reduced consequently (P<0.05). The difference of expression between the groups with and without lymph node metastases was significant (P<0.05). Conclusion   Mel-18 might play a role to suppress carcinogenesis and progression of ESCC. It is possible that Mel-18 could be used as a bio-marker for diagnosis and prognosis .

Key words: Esophageal Squamous cell carcinoma; Mel-18； Gene expression; RT-PCR; Lymph node metastases