Human epidermal growth factor in gastric carcinoma as a biologic marker of high malignancy.
The presence of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) was studied in a total of 210 gastric carcinomas comprising 52 early carcinomas, 113 advanced carcinomas and 45 scirrhous carcinomas. An immunohistochemical study revealed no hEGF-immunoreactivity in early gastric carcinomas, while hEGF-positive tumor cells were detected in 24 (21.2%) of the 113 advanced carcinomas and in 15 (33.3%) of the 45 scirrhous carcinomas. The incidence of hEGF-immunoreactivity in well-differentiated adenocarcinomas was significantly higher than that in poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas (P less than 0.05). Moreover, hEGF-immunoreactive tumor cells were observed in 13 (30.4%) of the 42 scirrhous poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas, the incidence being significantly higher than that in non-scirrhous poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas (P less than 0.05). The average hEGF content in the tumor tissue estimated by radioimmunoassay was 3.77 +/- 0.61 (mean +/- SE) ng/g wet weight in immunohistochemical hEGF-positive tumors and 2.19 +/- 0.18 ng/g wet weight in hEGF-negative tumors, the difference being significant (P less than 0.05). Patients with hEGF-positive carcinomas (excluding scirrhous carcinomas) had much worse prognosis than those with hEGF-negative carcinomas. These results suggest that EGF produced by tumor cells plays an important role in the invasive growth and productive fibrosis of gastric carcinoma and also serves as a biologic marker of high malignancy in patients with gastric cancers.
E
E
Tahara
H
H
Sumiyoshi
J
J
Hata
W
W
Yasui
K
K
Taniyama
T
T
Hayashi
S
S
Nagae
S
S
Sakamoto
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000032:analysis; D002293:Adenocarcinoma, Scirrhous / Q000032:analysis*; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000032:analysis*; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000032:analysis; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000032:analysis*
D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D066246:ErbB Receptors