Expression and clinical significance of the erbB family in intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma.
The type I family of growth factor receptors is known to play a role in the development of several carcinomas, but its role in hepatic malignancies is not clearly understood. In this study we investigated the expression of this family of EGF-R, c-erbB-2, c-erbB-3 and c-erbB-4 in 38 intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinomas (CCC) by means of immunohistochemistry. EGF-R expression was related to lymph node metastasis, aberrant p53 expression, proliferating activity, and carcinoma differentiation. c-erbB-2 expression was observed in more than 50% of the cases, but was not related to any clinicopathological features, c-erbB-3 expression was linked to lymph node metastasis, and c-erbB-4 expression was directly related to proliferating activity and lymph node metastasis. These results indicate that: 1) EGF-R contributes greatly to CCC progression, and c-erbB-3 and c-erbB-4 have roles similar to but less than that of EGFR, and 2) c-erbB-2 is expressed in CCC in high incidence, but its clinical role in CCC remains unclear.
Department of Surgery, Osaka Seamen's Insurance Hospital, Japan.
Y
Y
Ito
T
T
Takeda
Y
Y
Sasaki
M
M
Sakon
T
T
Yamada
S
S
Ishiguro
S
S
Imaoka
M
M
Tsujimoto
S
S
Higashiyama
M
M
Monden
N
N
Matsuura
D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases