Loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 11 in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas

Esophageal cancer (ESC) is an important cancer worldwide. Chromosome 11 plays an important role in the development of several human cancers. In this study, 19 polymorphic microsatellite markers spanning the whole chromosome 11 were used to screen for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in 38 primary esophageal squamous cell carcinomas. Thirty-three of 38 samples (86.8%) showed LOH at one or more loci. High frequencies (51.9–61.1%) of allelic loss were observed at D11S1338, D11S2000, D11S1990, and D11S1647 loci, in two chromosomal regions, 11p15.5 and 11q22.3. The results of this study suggest the presence of putative tumor suppressor genes in these two regions on chromosome 11 related to ESC.