PTEN是近年发现的一种与细胞信号传导途径有关的具有双特异性磷酸酶活性的新型抑癌基因。研究表明,该基因的突变与人类多种恶性肿瘤的发生发展密切相关。近年来国内外的学者在食管癌组织中发现,虽然该基因发生突变的频率较低,但其蛋白表达却普遍下降,表达程度与食管癌的恶性程度及预后密切相关。因此,PTEN的低表达可能参与了食管癌的发生发展过程。 PTEN is a new type of tumor suppressor gene with bispecific phosphatase activity related to cell signal transduction pathway discovered in recent years. Studies have shown that the mutation of the gene is closely related to the occurrence and development of many human malignancies. In recent years, scholars at home and abroad found in esophageal cancer tissue, although the mutation frequency of the gene is lower, but its protein expression generally declined, the expression level is closely related to the malignancy and prognosis of esophageal cancer. Therefore, the low expression of PTEN may be involved in the occurrence and development of esophageal cancer.