Potential role of minichromosome maintenance protein 2 as a screening biomarker in esophageal cancer high-risk population in China.

Summary Minichromosome maintenance proteins are novel proliferative markers that have been proposed as diagnostic markers in many cancers. We evaluated the potential role of minichromosome maintenance protein 2 as a screening biomarker and compared it with proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Ki67 in a population survey of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. A total of 299 esophageal samples from a high-risk region in China, including 171 from an endoscopy population survey, 30 from brushing cytology, and 98 from surgery and autopsy, underwent immunostaining with minichromosome maintenance protein 2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and Ki67 antibodies. Minichromosome maintenance protein 2 expression was confined to the proliferative compartment of normal and abnormal esophageal epithelium and particularly manifested in the surface layer of dysplasia and carcinoma in situ. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Ki67 was positively correlated with that of minichromosome maintenance protein 2 ( r s >0.39, P P P