Are Japanese and European gastric cancer the same biological entity? An immunohistochemical study.
To examine the suggested biological difference between Japanese and British gastric cancers, immunohistochemistry was used to demonstrate eight markers of biological activity in a matched series of 40 Japanese and 33 British cases. There were no differences in the proportions of Japanese and British tumours positive to epidermal growth factor, epidermal growth factor receptor, transforming growth factor alpha, cripto or p53. A significantly greater proportion of British tumours were positive to c-erbB-2 whilst a significantly greater proportion of Japanese tumours were positive to nm23. British tumours had a significantly greater mean proliferating cell nuclear antigen proliferation index than Japanese tumours. These differences could be clinically significant.
Livingstone
J I
JI
Department of Academic Surgery, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London.
Yasui
W
W
Tahara
E
E
Wastell
C
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000208:ethnology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis
D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D014157:Transcription Factors; C517938:NME1 protein, human