Clinical significance of soluble c-erbB-2 levels in the serum and urine of patients with gastric cancer.
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.
Tsigris
Christos
C
First Department of Surgery, University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Karayiannakis
Anastasios J
AJ
Syrigos
Konstantinos N
KN
Zbar
Andrew
A
Diamantis
Theodoros
T
Kalahanis
Nikolaos
N
Alexiou
Dimitrios
D
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
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases