Cell sorting combined PCR-SSCP analysis of the p53 gene in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

为探讨p53基因异常与食管鳞癌预后的关系，采用细胞分选结合单链构象多态性（PCR-SSCP）分析方法检测食管鳞癌p53基因突变和洛缺失。此外，还通过PCR-LOH（loss of heterozygosity）分析或PCR-SSCP分析检测了肿瘤抑制基因（Rb、MCC、APC和DCC）的4种遗传改变。细胞分选结合PCR-SSCP分析可提高检测p53突变的敏感性，并提供更多关于食管鳞癌内镜标本DNA倍体模式的信息。虽然p53基因的异常与患者的乳腺癌有很好的相关性，但其他肿瘤抑制基因的异常与患者的乳腺癌无关。微卫星分析发现3 p25的洛在有淋巴结转移的癌中发生率高于无淋巴结转移的癌，因此，结合基因改变的检测可为临床应用提供良好的信息。

To investigate the prognostic significance of the p53 gene abnormalities, mutation and LOH of the gene were examined by the cell sorting combined single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Further, four genetic alterations of the tumor suppressor genes (Rb, MCC,APC and DCC) were also examined by the PCR-LOH (loss of heterozygosity) assay or PCR-SSCP analysis. The cell sorting combined with PCR-SSCP analysis should improved the sensitivity of detecting p53 mutations, and provides additional information concerning the DNA ploidy pattern in endoscopic specimens of ESCCs. Although aberrations of the p53 gene were well correlated with patients' prognoses, remaining other tumor suppressor genes were not. LOH at the 3p25 detected by the microsatellite assay more freguently occurred in carcinomas with lymph node metastasis than in without it. Thus, the combination of genetic alterations examined may provide good informations in clinical use.