UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective:MCM4 is a member of Minichromosome maintenance protein family. MCM2-7 proteins play an essential role in eukaryotic DNA replication and have been identified as components of DNA replication licensing factors. So far, no research on MCM4 has been reported in esophageal cancer. In this study, we investigated the possible relationship between MCM4 and esophageal cancer. Methods:We detected via RT-PCR the expression status of MCM4 in esophageal cancer from southern China and also examined the relationship between alteration of MCM4 and the clinical data of esophageal cancer. Results:65% (39/60) cases showed increased expression of MCM4 in the carcinomas when compared with normal esophageal epithelia in which no or low MCM4 expression was detected in most cases. Twenty of sixty cases (33%) showed increased expression of MCM4 in the adjacent epithelia. Furthermore, MCM4 expression in esophageal carcinomas was significantly higher than the one in the adjacent epithelia (chi square value is 12.037, P<0.001). Significant difference for the expression status of MCM4 was found between the patients with histopathological stage T3 and stage T1 (chi square value=4.038, P<0.05). The increased expression of MCM4 might be associated with pathological staging of esophageal cancer. The alterations of MCM4 are possibly related to the earlier event of esophageal carcinogenesis. MCM4 is probably a valuable molecular marker involved in the development and/or genesis of esophageal cancer.