本研究的目的是檢驗：(1) 造骨蛋白(osteopontin) 在食道鱗狀上皮細胞癌的蛋白質表現，以及(2) 是否可用造骨蛋白來預測病患的疾病嚴重度及預後。共有54 位新診斷並接受食道切除術的食道鱗狀上皮細胞癌患者收案。我們以免疫組織染色法偵測組織中造骨蛋白的蛋白質表現量，並經由查閱病歷得到病患的臨床病理資料。造骨蛋白蛋白質的過度表現在37.0%(20/54) 的腫瘤部位及13.0% (7/54) 的周邊正常食道組織可偵測得到。相對於其對照的正常部位，造骨蛋白在其中35 對(64.8%) 食道癌組織有明顯更強的表現。造骨蛋白蛋白質的表現量與患者的癌症分期或存活時間並無相關。我們的研究發現雖然造骨蛋白不能用來預測病患的預後，但和食道鱗狀上皮細胞癌的發生過程有關。

This study aimed to examine (1) the protein expression of osteopontin (OPN) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissue and (2) whether OPN could be used to predict ESCC patients’ disease severity and prognosis. In total, 54 newly-diagnosed ESCC patients who received eophagectomy were studied. OPN protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry method. The information of the patients’ clinicopathologic characteristics was obtained by chart review. OPN protein overexpression was present in 37.0% (20/54) of tumor tissues and 13.0% (7/54) of normal tissues. It was obviously stronger in cancer part than the corresponding normal part in 35 pairs (64.8%) of ESCC tissues. There were no significant associations between OPN protein expressions and patient’s cancer stage or survival. Our findings indicated that OPN
was associated with the development of ESCC although it cannot predict patients’ survival.