Relationship Between Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Lymph Node Metastasis And Serum Proteome Fingerprint

The technique of surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) emerged in recent years. It is a newly developed research method for proteomics, binding the technique of proteinchip and mass spectrometry all in one, with superiorities of automation, rapidness, sensitivity and specificity. This technique can quantitate the protein and compare the difference of protein expression and research the interaction of proteins. It is a new platform in research of proteomics. Now, the technique of SELDI-TOF-MS is applied generally in screening of tumor markers and research of tumor mechanism.Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma ( ESCC) is one of most common tumor in our country especially in Shanxi province. Early diagnosis and treatment are important devices for ESCC patients to elevate the curative effect. But most of new patients are in advanced stage. Otherwise, because of the judgement of lymph node metastasis (LM) is not accurate, choice of modus operandi is blind. In this study, SELDI-TOF-MS technique was used to analyze sera of ESCC and healthy controls, of with LM and without LM, detected different protein peaks. It was expected to be a concise, exact and atraumatic way for early diagnosis and judgement of lymph node metastasis.Objective: To analyze the alterations of serum protein in ESCC,compare alterations of serum protein with LM and without LM.Methods: Serum samples were collected from 64 ESCC patients before operation and 60 cases with sex and age-matched healthy controls, special serum protein or peptide spectra was determined by SELDI-TOF-MS measurement after treating the sample onto weak cation exchange (WCX2) protein chip for each case. The serum protein profiles were compared by BioMarker Wizard Software between the ESCC patients and healthy controls, and among ESCC patients stratified according to gender, age, location of tumor, size of tumor, infiltration and with or without LM.Results: (1) one hundred and twenty protein peaks were detected at the molecular range of 0 to 5000 in comparing of ESCC patients and healthy controls, 31 significantly different peaks were found between ESCC patients and healthy controls (P<0.05), ten peaks were selected (P<0.01). (2) One significant differential protein peak (m/z 4174) was detected between Tland T3, T4 (P<0.05). (3) There were 3 significant differential protein peaks(m/z 3970, 4174 and 4277) between with LM and without LM (P<0.05).The peak (m/z 4174) was shared by tow groups above. (4) No significant differential protein was found when patients stratified according to gender, gender, age, location of tumor, size of tumor.Conclusion: Significant difference exists in serum proteins between ESCC patients and healthy controls. There are statistical difference exists in serum proteins between T1 and T3, T4, with LM and without LM. This difference is less than between ESCC patients and healthy controls. Some commonness is exit in serum protein fingerprint for patients with serious infiltration and with LM.