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It has been reported that the trimethylation of histone 3 on lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is required for enhancer of zeste homology 2 (EZH2)-mediated repression of various genes essential for tumorigenesis and tumor development. Here, we reported the expression of EZH2 and H3K27me3 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) specimens was higher than the pericarcinoma esophageal specimens. Their expression was positively associated with the poor prognosis of ESCC patients. EZH2 expression, histological grade and distant lymph node metastasis were all independent factors for poor prognosis of ESCC. In addition, enforced expression of EZH2 in esophageal cancer-derived cells could increase the overall H3K27me3 level. Our results suggested the expression of EZH2 and H3K27me3 could serve as biomarkers in the prediction of ESCC patients’ survival and ESCC metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of death among gynecologic malignancies. In this study, we reported the expression of melanoma-associated antigens A ( MAGE-A) genes in peripheral blood from 80 patients with ovarian cancer and 30 healthy donors. MAGE-As expression was associated with the factors indicating poor prognosis. The expressions of MAGE-As and each individual MAGE-A genes were also associated with low overall survival of patients with ovarian cancer. Our results suggested MAGE-A genes may have the potential to be surveillance markers for the detection of circulating tumor cells and represent a poor prognosis for patients with ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]