Study Of GAGE-7 Autoantibody In Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Diagnosis

Background Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the main type of esophageal cancer, is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignant cancers. Tumor markers detection is easy, economical, fast and non-invasive. Some tumor markers can be expressed before morphological changes occurred in tissues and organs; therefore, they can be used for the diagnosis of disease in the asymptomatic stage, thus making the research into tumor marker discovery even more meaningful. G antigen (GAGE) is a novel tumor-associated antigen. Because of the expression characteristic in tumor tissues, it is possible to make GAGE as a tumor marker with high specificity.Methods In this study, we expressed and purified recombinant GAGE-7 protein, and detected the GAGE-7 autoantibody in both esophageal squamous cell carcinoma serum and normal control by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbnent Assay (ELISA). Meanwhile, serum total IgG was determined to analyze the ratio of GAGE-7 autoantibody to total IgG.Results The expression level of GAGE-7 autoantibody is much higher in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma serum than normal control serum(P<0.001), and the difference is more sensitive when the ratio of GAGE-7 autoantibody to total IgG was compared(P<0.0001).Conclusion GAGE-7 autoantibody has significant expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma serum. We conclude that GAGE family can be detected in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and might therefore be a promising tumor marker for diagnosis.