title: Microsatellite analysis in multistage carcinogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from Chongqing in Southern China.
abstract: In order to characterize the molecular events in the carcinogenesis of esophageal cancer and to identify biomarkers for the early detection of the disease, matched precancerous and cancerous tissues resected from 34 esophageal cancer patients in Chongqing of southern China were compared for the extent of loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Sixteen microsatellite markers on nine chromosome regions were used for the PCR-based LOH analysis. The overall frequency of LOH at the 16 microsatellite loci was significantly increased as the pathological status of the resection specimens changed from low-grade dysplasia (LGD) to high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (P < 0.001), indicating that tumorigenesis of the esophageal squamous epithelia is a progressive process involving accumulative changes of LOH. A total of eight markers showed LOH in the LGD samples, suggesting that these loci may be involved in the early-stage tumorigenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and that LOH analysis at these loci may help improve the early detection of this disease. In addition, heterozygosity was regained at four loci in the SCC samples of four patients compared with the HGD samples, suggesting the possibility of genetic heterogeneity in the tumorigenesis of esophageal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, Affiliated South-West Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China; E-Mail:  liuming227@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000077277:Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; D005260:Female; D056426:Genetic Loci; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers