Membranous levels of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein in gastric cancer: their relationship with clinicopathological parameters and their prognostic significance.
BACKGROUND
The protein encoded by the c-erbB-2 gene is a membrane receptor expressed in a variety of solid human cancers and directly related to poor prognosis. The objective of this work was to evaluate the clinical value of the quantification of membranous oncoprotein levels in gastric cancer.


METHODS
Membranous c-erbB-2 levels were examined by means of a sandwich immunoenzymatic assay in 82 patients with gastric cancer. The median follow-up period for these patients was 16 months. In addition, c-erbB-2 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 57 gastric carcinomas.


RESULTS
Membranous c-erbB-2 levels ranged widely in the studied tumors (44-112,000 NHU/mg protein). Median c-erbB2 content was significantly higher in intestinal-type tumors than in diffuse-type tumors (p = 0.01). In addition, high levels of c-erbB-2 were significantly associated with shorter relapse-free survival and overall survival in patients with resectable gastric carcinomas (p = 0.01 and p = 0.04, respectively). However, the correlation between immunohistochemistry and ELISA determinations did not reach statistical significance.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest a potential prognostic value of membranous c-erbB-2 quantification by immunoenzymatic assay in gastric cancer. However, its possible role in the selection of patients with a view to the possible introduction of Herceptin as a novel drug against gastric cancer is at present uncertain.
Vizoso
F J
FJ
Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain. fjvizoso@wanadoo.es
Corte
M D
MD
Alvarez
A
A
García
I
I
del Casar
J M
JM
Bongera
M
M
González
L O
LO
García-Muñiz
J L
JL
Allende
M T
MT
D000368:Aged; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D013997:Time Factors
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases