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OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship of the EphA2 gene with the occurrence, invasion and metastasis of esophageal carcinoma.METHODS The expression of EphA2 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and the EphA2 protein was estimated by immunohistochemistry (SP method) in both esophageal cancerous tissues and normal epithelial tissues.RESULTS The expression of EphA2 mRNA showed no difference between esophageal cancerous tissues and normal epithelium, and there appeared to be no correlation with differentiation of the cancerous tissues, the depth of infiltration or lymph node metastasis (P＞0.05). However, the expression of the EphA2 protein was significantly higher in cancerous tissues compared to normal epithelial tissues (P＜0.05). The expression of the EphA2 protein in a deeper invasive group and in a group with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher compared to a superficially invasive group and a group without lymph node metastasis (P＜0.05).Its expression did not appear to be correlated with differentiation of cancerous tissues (P＞0.05).CONCLUSION The occurrence of esophagus carcinoma and the formation of invasion and metastasis may be related to overexpression of the EphA2 protein but not to the level of mRNA, a finding which may due to up-regulation at the translation level or by increased protein stability.