Expression of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein in human gastric carcinoma and its association with tumor aggressiveness, metastasis and poor prognosis.
OBJECTIVE
Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are involved in lipid metabolism by intracellular transport of long-chain fatty acids. Heart-type (H-) FABP has been reported to inhibit cell growth and induce cell differentiation, but to our knowledge the significance of H-FABP expression in human gastric carcinoma has not been elucidated. The aim of the current study was to examine the expression of H-FABP and its relation to clinicopathologic parameters and fatty acid synthase (FAS) status of gastric carcinoma, since gastric cancer shows increased expression of FAS.


METHODS
Immunohistochemistry with anti-H-FABP antibody was performed in 669 gastric carcinomas and 60 tubular adenomas of the stomach. H-FABP-positive and H-FABP-negative carcinomas were analyzed for their clinicopathologic characteristics and FAS status.


RESULTS
None of the adenomas expressed H-FABP, whereas 127 of 669 carcinomas (19.0%) were positive for the protein. H-FABP positivity was associated with the depth of invasion (p <0.0001), vascular invasion (p <0.0001), lymph node metastasis (p <0.0001), hepatic metastasis (p=0.0011), stage of the carcinoma (p <0.0001) and FAS status of the carcinoma (p=0.0476). A higher survival rate was noted in H-FABP-negative cases compared with H-FABP-positive cases (p=0.0004).


CONCLUSIONS
A subset of human gastric carcinoma expresses H-FABP and its expression is associated with FAS status, disease progression, tumor aggressiveness and poor patient survival.
Hashimoto
Takeaki
T
Department of Pathology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
Kusakabe
Takashi
T
Sugino
Takashi
T
Fukuda
Takeaki
T
Watanabe
Kazuo
K
Sato
Yukio
Y
Nashimoto
Atsushi
A
Honma
Keiichi
K
Kimura
Hideki
H
Fujii
Hiroshi
H
Suzuki
Toshimitsu
T
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D018450:Disease Progression; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000378:metabolism; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016019:Survival Analysis
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases