title: [Expression of glutathione S-transferase-pi in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the expression of glutathione S-transferase-pi (GST-pi) in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its correlation with the clinicopathological data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemical method (labeled avidin biotin method) and ELISA were used to detect the expression of glutathione S-transferase-pi (GST-pi) in 143 cases of formalin fixed, paraffin embedded ESCC tissue sections. Serum GST-pi was determined before and after operation in 43 patients with ESCC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GST-pi was positively stained immunohistochemically in 58.7%(84/143) of ESCC and 79.6%(109/139) of surrounding noncancerous esophageal tissues (P < 0.05). The expression level of GST-pi was significantly higher in well differentiated than poorly differentiated carcinomas(P < 0.05). No significant correlation was observed between GST-pi levels and lymph node metastasis, pathological staging or long term survival. The preoperative and postoperative mean serum GST-pi levels in ESCC patients were significantly higher than those in 34 normal subjects (P < 0.05, P < 0.025); the mean serum GST-pi level in postoperative patients was lower than that in preoperative patients, but the difference was not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GST-pi is a useful tumor marker for human ESCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Cancer Institute (Hospital), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000556:secondary; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D051549:Glutathione S-Transferase pi; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000097:blood*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007527:Isoenzymes; C496556:GSTP1 protein, human; D051549:Glutathione S-Transferase pi; D005982:Glutathione Transferase