erbB-2 expression in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach predicts shorter survival after curative resection.
BACKGROUND
Correlation between erbB-2 expression, histologic type of gastric carcinoma, and survival after curative resection was evaluated.


METHODS
Paraffin-embedded specimens from 120 patients who underwent curative resection of gastric carcinoma were analyzed immunohistochemically for the expression of erbB-2.


RESULTS
Enhanced erbB-2 expression correlated with tumor stage and depth of invasion. Well-differentiated adenocarcinomas had a higher incidence of erbB-2 expression than did poorly differentiated carcinomas. Survival rates of 33 patients with erbB-2-positive carcinomas were significantly lower than those of 87 with erbB-2-negative carcinomas (p < 0.001). Survival rates of patients with well-differentiated adenocarcinomas that were erbB-2 positive were significantly lower than those that were erbB-2 negative (p < 0.001). However, the presence of erbB-2 was not associated with altered survival in 46 patients with poorly differentiated carcinomas. Multivariate analysis of all 120 patients revealed that independent predictors of recurrent disease include nodal involvement (p = 0.003) and erbB-2 expression (p = 0.0051).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that erbB-2 expression is a new marker associated with poor prognosis in well-differentiated gastric adenocarcinomas.
Motojima
K
K
Second Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Furui
J
J
Kohara
N
N
Izawa
K
K
Kanematsu
T
T
Shiku
H
H
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases