title: [Expressions of RhoC and osteopontin in esophageal squamous carcinoma and association with the patients' prognosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expressions of RhoC and osteopontin (OPN) protein in esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESC) and their association with the biological behavior of ESC.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expressions of RhoC and OPN protein were detected in 80 ESC cases by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The positive expression rate of RhoC was 66.25% in these ESC cases. The rate was significantly higher in cases with lymph node metastasis than in those without (r(s)=-2.115, P<0.05), but RhoC expression was not associated with the tumor diameter, differentiation or TNM grade (P>0.05). The RhoC-positive patients had significantly shorter survival time than the negative patients (P<0.001). All the 80 ESC patients were positive for OPN expression, and OPN expression levels were correlated with the differentiation (chi(2)=10.766, P<0.05) and lymph node metastasis of the tumor (r(s)=-2.289, P<0.05), but not with the tumor diameter or TNM grade (P>0.05). Higher expression level of OPN was closely related to shorter survival time of the patients (P<0.05). A positive correlation was found between RhoC protein and OPN expressions (r(s)= 0.408, P<0.001) in these cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expressions of RhoC and OPN protein are closely related to lymph node metastasis of ESC and the patients survival time, and therefore may serve the purpose of prognostic evaluation of ESC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China. zhhzhgd@163.com
authors.forename: Hui-zhong
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jin-geng
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yi-ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yong-ke
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053495:Osteopontin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000075024:rhoC GTP-Binding Protein
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053495:Osteopontin; C066690:RHOC protein, human; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins; D000075024:rhoC GTP-Binding Protein