title: C-erbB-2 oncoprotein in gastric carcinoma: correlation with clinical stage and prognosis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of the oncogene c-erbB-2 in gastric tumors. Immunohistochemical study of the expression of c-erbB-2 was performed in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 82 gastric adenocarcinomas using polyclonal antibody. c-erbB-2-positive immunostaining was observed in 37 (45%) tumors. Positive staining was detected in 63% of well differentiated, 46% of moderately differentiated and 80% of papillary adenocarcinomas. In poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas, positivity for c-erbB-2 was observed in 21 %. According to the Lauren classification, a higher frequency of c-erbB-2 positive staining was observed in intestinal type tumors (70%). During the follow-up period 43% of the patients with c-erbB-2 oncoprotein-negative tumors and 45% of the patients with c-erbB-2 oncoprotein-positive tumors died. There was no significant association between c-erbB-2 staining and sex, age, clinical stage, tumor grade, histological type or survival rates. In conclusion, almost half of the gastric cancers were positive for c-erbB-2. Nonetheless, the expression of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein did not play a role in prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP-EPM), São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Lanzoni
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iriya
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Forones
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases