Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To explore and compare the relationship between the hypermethylation status of FHIT gene and the occurrence and prognosis of esophageal carcinoma (EC)in Kazakh and Han ethnic groups in Xinjiang. METHODS：The hypermethylation of FHIT promoter region was detected by methylation specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) in 71 cases of Kazakh and Han patients’ esophageal cancer tissues. Cox model was established to analyze the possible factors influencing the prognosis of EC，including clinicopathological parameters and hypermethylation levels of FHIT promoter region. RESULTS：The methylation rates of FHIT promoter region in esophageal cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were 58.3% and 19.4% respectively，in 36 Kazakh patients，and 51.4% and 14.3% respectively，in 35 Han patients. Significant differences were seen in the methylation rates of FHIT promoter region in esophageal cancer and adjacent tissues (P<0.05)，but no differences between esophageal cancer and adjacent tissues in Kazakh and Han groups (P>0.05). Multivariate prognostic analysis showed that the infiltration，TNM stage，the numbers of regional lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors，but female was a protective factor for esophageal carcinoma. CONCLUSION： Aberrant methylation of FHIT promoter region may play an important role in the pathogenesis of EC，but may have no relationship with the prognosis in Kazakh and Han ethnic groups.

Key words: Kazakh nationality, Han nationality, esophageal cancer, FHIT gene, methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction