Expression of the 27-kDa heat shock protein (HSP27) in gastric carcinomas and adjacent normal, metaplastic, and dysplastic gastric mucosa, and its prognostic significance.
OBJECTIVE
The investigation of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) expression in gastric cancer and adjacent normal, metaplastic, and dysplastic gastric mucosa and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters and survival of patients.


METHODS
Immunohistochemical methodology was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections by using a monoclonal anti-HSP27 antibody. HSP27 expression was screened and compared in 86 cases of gastric carcinoma and adjacent normal, metaplastic, and dysplastic gastric mucosa.


RESULTS
In the normal mucosa, HSP27 was detected in 68 out of 86 cases (79%) and was more intense in the surface and upper two-thirds of gastric foveolae. In dysplastic gastric mucosa, HSP27 immunoreactivity was usually higher than that of the adjacent normal epithelium and was parallel to the severity of dysplasia. HSP27 expression was found in 54 out of 86 (62.7%) gastric carcinomas and was significantly related to more than six metastatic lymph nodes ( P =0.03). HSP27 expression was also higher in tumors of advanced stage and in those of female patients. HSP27 expression was associated with shorter overall survival in univariate analysis ( P =0.04), but this relationship was not retained in multivariate analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that: i) HSP27 is commonly expressed in normal gastric epithelium where it seems to exert a protective role; and ii) HSP27 is involved in gastric carcinogenesis and its expression appears to be associated with parameters of unfavorable prognosis and shorter overall survival.
Department of Pathology, Division of Molecular Pathology, Amalia Fleming Hospital, Athens, Greece.
N
N
Kapranos
A
A
Kominea
P A
PA
Konstantinopoulos
S
S
Savva
S
S
Artelaris
G
G
Vandoros
G
G
Sotiropoulou-Bonikou
A G
AG
Papavassiliou
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; C057725:HSPB1 protein, human; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins