title: Clinicopathological significance of aminopeptidase N/CD13 expression in human gastric carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aminopeptidase N (APN)/CD13 is a transmembrane ectoenzyme occurring in a wide variety of cells. Recently, APN/CD13 has been reported to be involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. However, precise functions in tumor cells, and its role in gastric carcinoma remain unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  To evaluate the role of APN/CD13 in gastric carcinoma, we conducted immunohistochemical staining for APN/CD13 in 121 gastric carcinoma specimens, using anti-APN monoclonal antibody. The relationship between APN/CD13 expression and various prognostic factors of gastric carcinoma were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 121 patients with gastric carcinoma studied, 48 were strongly positive, 36 were weakly positive, and 37 were negative. Overall survival rate of the patients with negative APN/CD13 expression was significantly lower than that of the patients with positive APN/CD13 expression. APN/CD13 expression was negatively associated with lymph node metastasis. Multivariate analysis showed APN/CD13 expression to be a significant prognostic factor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreased expression of APN/CD13 was associated with a poor prognosis. Hence, our results demonstrate that the immunohistochemical detection of APN/CD13 could provide useful information as one of the prognostic factors in gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Surgical Basic Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors.forename: Junichiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitaichi
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Komoto
authors.forename: Yosuhe
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaganoi
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imamura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018826:CD13 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018826:CD13 Antigens