Abstract: Objective: Chromosomal aberrations including amplifications and deletions underlie the development of cancer. Amplification of 8q24 is one of the most frequent genetic events in esophageal cancer. Our study is designed to identify the key gene in 8q24 amplifications. Method: Flu-orescent in situ hybridization using a c-myc(8q24.12-q24.13) probe was used to detect genetic amplifi-cations in esophageal cancer specimens. The expression of several genes including c-myc, C8FW and NSE2 in the 8q24 region was detected via RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis. Result: Ampli-fication of 8q24 was found in esophageal carcinomas. Only four of forty-six cases of esophageal malig-nancy showed significant upregulation in protein expression. Peculiarly, increased protein expression of c-myc was seen only in small portions of the lesions. Staining for c-myc was observed mainly in thecytoplasm of esophageal cancer cells. No expression of C8FW was detected in esophageal squamouscell carcinomas. Thirty-nine of fifty-nine (66% ) cases showed increased expression of NSE2 inesophageal carcinomas. Conclusion: The results suggest that c-myc and C8FW are probably not the key gene in 8q24 amplifications in esophageal cancer. NSE2 might be involved in the development and/or genesis of esophageal cancer. Whether NSE2 plays a pivotal role in esophageal cancer awaits further investigation.