ABSTRACT
          Background and Objectives: The incidence rate of esophageal cancer (EC) is high in north and northeast of Iran. Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid with a wide range of vital biological functions. The aim of this study was to compare plasma levels of taurine between patients with EC and healthy controls.
        Methods: Plasma samples from 36 recently diagnosed cases of EC and 36 healthy adults were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Data analysis was done using SPSS (version 16). The t-test was used to evaluate significant differences in the level of taurine between the two groups. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
         Results: Patients with EC had significantly higher levels of plasma taurine compared with the controls (P<0.05).
         Conclusion: Patients with EC have significantly higher levels of plasma taurine compared with healthy individuals. This finding suggests that the measurement of plasma taurine in patients with EC could be useful for the early diagnosis of the disease.
        Keywords: Esophageal Cancer, Taurine, HPLC.

ABSTRACT
           Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most common types of cancer, especially in Asia. Esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) is the most important histological subtype of EC, which accounts for 90% of all EC cases worldwide. ESCC is highly prevalent in Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan and northern and central parts of China. Selenium is an essential micronutrient that is required for cellular functioning and synthesis of several selenoproteins. It also modulates the antioxidant defense system, cell cycle and apoptosis. This article reviews the most important molecular mechanisms of EC and investigates the association between selenium level and incidence of EC in high-risk areas.
           Keywords: Esophageal cancer, selenium, selenoprotein.