Review on PTEN anti-oncogene and esophageal cancer

OBJECTIVE:To summarise the history,advances and problems of studies on relationship between antioncogene PTEN and esophageal carcinoma.METHODS:The fulltext database retrieval systems of retriavaling Pubmed and CNKI were searched.The words " PTEN gene,esophageal cancer,genetics and epigenetics " were used as key words to retrieval the related literature from January 2000to June 2012.Including standards:1) The expression of PTEN gene in esophageal carcinoma tissues;2) The genetic and epigenetic alternation of PTEN gene in esophageal cancer;3) The mechanism of PTEN promoting the oncogenesis and development of esophageal cancer;4) The significance of PTEN gene in treatment and prognostic analysis of esophageal cancer.Totally 36papers were selected and analyzed based on the standards.RESULTS : The expression of PTEN gene has been significantly down-regulated in esophageal cancer,which is related to TNM staging and prognosis of esophageal cancer.The relationship between PTEN gene point mutations and clinical progression of esophageal cancer is not clear.The loss of heterozygosity and microsatellite instability of PTEN gene exist in esophageal cancer,but they have nothing to do with the clinical and pathological features of esophageal cancer.There is no final conclusion about the relationship between PTEN genetic polymorphism and expression of PTEN protein and risk factors of esophageal cancer.Only few studies illustrated the aberrant epigenetic alternation of PTEN gene in esophageal cancer,which is unclear to affect the function of PTEN protein and the progression of esophageal cancer.The exact mechanism of low expression of PTEN gene in esophageal cancer needs further research.CONCLUSION : PTEN gene involving in esophageal cancer cell growth,differentiation,apoptosis and cellular signal transduction is closely related to oncogenesis,progression,treatment and prognosis of esophageal cancer.