Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This study was to investigate the differentially expressed genes between primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and normal esophageal mucosa using cDNA microarray. METHOD: LCM-GMA-cDNA microarray was used to detect the mRNA from both the primary carcinoma and the corresponding esophageal epithelium in 15 cases of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). After high-stringent washing, the cDNA microarray was scanned for the fluorescent signals and showed differences between 2 tissues. RESULTS: Among the 886 target genes, 34 genes had significant differed between the Ⅰ/Ⅱand Ⅲ/Ⅳ group. Cell cycle regulators possibly promoting the growth of tumor cells were highly expressed in the early stages of ESCC, whereas adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix-related molecules possibly promoting invasiveness increased in the later stages. CONCLUSION: More than one gene contributed to esophageal cancer and the profiles of genes expression will open up new possibilities for understanding the molecular mechanism of tumor progression and be helpful to clinical treatment.

Key words: esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), cDNA microarray, differential expression, gene expression profile