Restoring the metabolic disturbance of zinc: may not only contribute to the prevention of esophageal squamous cell cancer.

The relationship between zinc deficiency (ZD) and esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) is well-established. Zinc supplement has long been considered as potential strategy for prevention of ESCC. However, the effect of zinc replenishment on prevention of ESCC is still in controversy and no convincing evidence to support these proposals has become known. We hypothesized that zinc deficiency might be the major initiator for dysfunction of numerous genes and subsequent carcinogenesis of esophagus, and replenishment of zinc might improve the prognosis of patients with ESCC.