ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the expression and biological significance of cyclin-dependent kinase 16 (CDK16) and cell proliferation index Ki67 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma so as to explore the correlation between the expressions of these two proteins in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of CDK16 protein and Ki67 protein in 75 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and paracancerous tissues. The relationship between the expressions of these two proteins and the clinicopathological features of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was studied by using mathematical statistical analysis software. Results: The expression of CDK16 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues was significantly higher than that in paracancerous tissues (P0.05). In addition, there was a significant correlation of Ki67 expression with differentiation, lymph node metastasis and TNM clinical stage of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (P<0.05), and correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between CDK16 and Ki67 expressions in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (χ2=24.36, P<0.001, Pearson coefficient of contingency =0.518). Conclusion: The expressions of CDK16 protein and Ki67 protein in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma increased significantly. The combined detection of CDK16 and Ki67 expressions can be used as an important reference index for judging the malignancy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and evaluating patients' prognosis.