Overexpression of c-erb-B2 proteins in tumor and non-tumor parts of gastric adenocarcinoma--emphasis on its relation to H. pylori infection and clinicohistological characteristics.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to test whether c-erb-B2 overexpression can be related to H. pylori infection or clinicohistological characteristics of patients with gastric cancers.


METHODS
One hundred patients with gastric cancer were included. Their gastric specimens were evaluated for the presence of H. pylori infection and overexpression of c-erb-B2 on both tumor and non-tumor mucosa. The clinicohistological characteristics, including stage, histological subtype, cell differentiation, and locations of gastric cancer were reviewed.


RESULTS
Seventy-five patients (75%) had H. pylori infection. The H. pylori infection rate was higher in the patients with non-cardiac cancers than those with cardiac cancers (87.5% vs. 25%, P < 0.05), higher in the patients with intestinal-type cancers than those with diffuse-type cancers (78.8% vs. 53.3%, P < 0.05). The overexpression of c-erb-B2 on gastric cancers was not significantly different between patients with and without H. pylori infection (30.7% vs. 36%, P = NS). Overexpression of c-erb-B2 on the gastric cancer tissues increased as the tumor stage turned upward (stage I: 10%; II: 23.3%, III: 32.5%, IV: 55%, P < 0.05), and highest in the poorly differentiated cancers (56.6%). Only patients with advanced stages as II to IV had c-erb-B2 overexpression on the non-tumor part of stomach (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
H. pylori infection is closely related with the non-cardiac, intestinal-type gastric cancers, but not with the c-erb-B2 overexpression on the gastric cancer. As c-erb-B2 overexpression on gastric cancer is significantly related with poor tumor differentiation and advanced stage, and it thus implicates a poor prognosis and late event of carcinogenesis.
Wang
Yen-Lin
YL
Chung Hwa College of Medical Technology, Tainan, Taiwan.
Sheu
Bor-Shyang
BS
Yang
Hsiao-Bai
HB
Lin
Pin-Wen
PW
Chang
Yu-Chung
YC
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases