title: Clinical significance of soluble c-erbB-2 levels in the serum and urine of patients with gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both tissue c-erbB-2 expression and serum levels the shed protein have been shown to correlate with tumour stage in a range of adenocarcinomas. This study measured serum and urinary c-erbB-2 levels in patients with gastric cancer, assessing their role in cancer-specific survival and the effects of resectional surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum and urinary c-erbB-2 concentrations were measured with commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 41 healthy controls and in 54 gastric cancer patients. Serum and urinary c-erbB-2 levels in cancer patients were determined before and 7 days following tumour surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preoperative serum and urinary c-erbB-2 levels in gastric cancer patients were significantly higher than those in controls although there were no significant associations between these levels and tumour pathology. Serum c-erbB-2 levels decreased significantly after radical resection of the primary tumour and were an independent prognostic factor for survival, whereas there were no changes in urinary c-erbB-2 levels after surgery or an association with patient survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gastric cancer patients show higher serum and urinary c-erbB-2 levels compared to healthy controls. Preoperative serum c-erbB-2 concentration decreases significantly after radical resection of the primary tumour and is an independent prognostic factor for patient survival.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tsigris
authors.forename: Anastasios J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Karayiannakis
authors.forename: Konstantinos N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Syrigos
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zbar
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Diamantis
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalahanis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alexiou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000097:blood*; D012995:Solubility; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery / Q000652:urine*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases