Prognostic Implication of Ezrin Expression in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background and Objectives: Ezrin, a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin family, was implicated in tumor progression, metastatic dissemination, and adverse outcomes in several cancer types, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical significance of ezrin expression in ESCC. Methods: Ezrin expression was detected on tissue microarrays of ESCC samples in 307 cases using immunohistochemical staining. Survival analysis was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Relative risk was evaluated by the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The staining pattern of ezrin was heterogeneous and varied from negative/weakly to intense expression in a cytoplasmic distribution. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that ezrin expression was related to poor overall survival of ESCC patients (P = 0.023). Further analysis revealed that ezrin expression was associated with the survival in the cases of stage III/IV (P = 0.002); but did not influence the survival in the patients of stage I/II. Multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that ezrin was an independent factor in prognosis of ESCC (P = 0.011). Conclusions: Ezrin might be a new molecular marker to predict the prognosis of ESCC patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2011; 104:538-543. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.