Expression of phosphatase of regenerating liver 1 and 3 mRNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Context.-Phosphatase of regenerating liver (PRL) 3 messenger RNA (mRNA) was reported to express in human colorectal, gastric, ovarian, breast, and hepatic cancers. Objective.-To examine the expression of PRL-1 and PRL-3 mRNAs in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Design.-Expression of PRL-1 and PRL-3 mRNA was examined with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in fresh tissue collected from 40 cases of ESCC with matched lymph node metastasis in 21 cases. The association of expression of PRL-1 and PRL-3 mRNAs with clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed. Results.-The frequencies of PRL-1 and PRL-3 mRNA expression were significantly higher in ESCC than in normal esophageal tissue (P = .001; P = .01) and also significantly higher in ESCC with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (P = .01; P = .03). The levels of PRL-1 and PRL-3 mRNA expression were significantly higher in ESCC with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (P = .04; P = .04). The frequencies and levels of PRL-1 and PRL-3 mRNA expression were correlated with the later stages but not with tumor differentiation, tumor location in the esophagus, patient's sex, and age. Conclusions.-PRL-1 and PRL-3 mRNAs may be involved in and used to predict the metastasis of ESCC. The possibility of using PRL-1 and PRL-3 as the therapeutical target is also discussed.