title: Expression of the GLUT1 glucose transporter in gallbladder carcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has previously been shown that glucose uptake and use is more prevalent in carcinomas than in normal cells and tissues. We hypothesized that human erythrocyte glucose transporter-1 expression is increased in gallbladder carcinoma and might be correlated with prognostic significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 71 cases of gallbladder carcinomas, 2 cases of gallbladder dysplasia and 20 cases of gallbladder adenomas were examined immunohistochemically to evaluate the expression of glucose transporter-1 protein in the light of their relationship with various prognostic factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Glucose transporter-1 was stained in the cell membrane of the cancer cells. Adjacent normal mucosa was negative for glucose transporter-1 staining. Thirty-seven gallbladder carcinomas (52.1%) showed positive staining for glucose transporter-1, however only one of the adenomas (5.0%) and none of the dysplasias were positive (P < 0.05). There was significant correlation between glucose transporter-1 expression and histologic tumor type, and tumor stage. In the multivariate analysis, tumor stage was statistically significant (P = 0.05), but glucose transporter-1 expression was not significant (P = 0.07). The mean survival periods of the glucose transporter-1 positive and negative groups were 24 months and 58 months, respectively (P = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that glucose transporter-1 protein expression is strongly associated with neoplastic progression in gallbladder carcinomas, and that glucose transporter-1 expression identifies with a worse prognosis in the patients with gallbladder carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea. kimyw@khu.ac.kr
authors.forename: Youn Wha
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yong-Koo
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Tae Young
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Sang Mok
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000236:Adenoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000473:pathology; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology; D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; C495677:SLC2A1 protein, human