Expression and clinical significance of KLK13 and its mRNA in esophageal cancer

Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of KLK13 and its mRNA in esophageal cancer. Methods Eighty-two patients with esophageal cancer admitted to the Tumor Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to June 2016 were selected. Another 41 cases of normal esophageal tissue were collected from the peripheral normal tissue of the malignant esophageal cancer lesions. The expression of KLK13 protein and mRNA in the tested tissues was measured in the laboratory. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze the relationship between the expression of KLK13 and the survival rate of patients with esophageal cancer. Results The protein and mRNA expression of KLK13 in esophageal cancer tissues was lower than that in normal tissues (P<0.05). The expression of KLK13 mRNA was correlated with tumor size, differentiation, depth of invasion, TNM stage and lymph node (P<0.05). The mortality rate of patients with KLK13 high expression (9.76%) was lower than the 29.27% of patients with KLK13 low expression. The overall survival rate and disease-free survival rate of patients with KLK13 high expression in esophageal cancer tissues were higher than those patients with low KLK13 expression. Conclusions The expression of KLK13 in esophageal cancer tissues is low, and the survival rate of patients with KLK13 high expression is high. KLK13 is expected to be a marker for evaluating the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer. Key words: Kallikrein; Esophageal cancer; Disease free survival