ABSTRACT
Objective The aim of this study was to assess the value of △Np63α in predicting tumor recurrence after curative resection in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients.Methods We analyzed △Np63α protein cxpression in 304 clinicopathologically characterized ESCC cases by immunohistochemistry.Results We found △Np63α expression was positive in 122 (40％) of 304 cases.△Np63α expression was higher in the cancer tissue than in non-tumorous control tissue at protein level(P =0.034).There was a significant difference of △Np63α expression in patients categorized according to invasive depth (P =0.001),tumor position (P =0.001) and lymph nodes metastasis condition (P =0.001).Multivariate analyses showed that △Np63α was an independent prognostic marker for ESCC recurrence.Conclusion △Np63α is associated with outcome of ESCC and can be a novel predictor for poor prognosis of ESCC patients after curative resection.