Prognostic significance of caspase-3 expression in primary resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Aims: The present study retrospectively examines the expression of caspase-3 in primary resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and the correlation between the outcome of patients and the expression of proteins. Methods: Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses were used to analyse the expression of caspase-3 in 40 archival specimens of patients with primary resected ESCC. Results: According to our cut-off point of the staining for caspase-3, 24 (60%) cases were positive and 16 (40%) negative. Caspase-3 expression correlated with a significant favorable prognosis in primary resected ESCC (P = 0.02). A multivariate analysis of clinical and biological factors indicated that stage, tumor differentiation, and caspase-3 expression were independent prognostic factors. Conclusions: Caspase-3 expression might be a good and new prognostic indicator for primary resected ESCC.