Inhibition of human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas by targeted silencing of tumor enhancer genes: an overview.

[esophageal carcinoma]

Esophageal cancer has been reported as the ninth most common malignancy and ranks as the sixth most frequent cause of death worldwide . Esophageal cancer treatment involves surgery , chemotherapy , radiation therapy , or combination therapy . Novel strategies are needed to boost the oncologic outcome . Recent advances in the molecular biology of esophageal cancer have documented the role of genetic alterations in tumorigenesis . Oncogenes serve a pivotal function in tumorigenesis . Targeted therapies are directed at the unique molecular signature of cancer cells for enhanced efficacy with low toxicity . RNA interference (RNAi ) technology is a powerful tool for silencing endogenous or exogenous genes in mammalian cells . Related results have shown that targeting oncogenes with siRNAs , specifically the mRNA , effectively reduces tumor cell proliferation and induces apoptotic cell death . This article will briefly review studies on silencing tumor enhancer genes related to the induction of esophageal cancer .