Overexpression of protein kinase Calpha mRNA may be an independent prognostic marker for gastric carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
The variability of the prognosis of gastric carcinoma drives extensive researches for novel prognostic markers. The aims of this study were to correlate the expression of protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) mRNA with clinicopathological parameters and to evaluate the significant value of PKCalpha in gastric carcinoma prognosis.


METHODS
PKCalpha mRNA levels were analyzed in tumor/non-tumor pairs of gastric tissues from surgical specimens of 41 patients with gastric carcinoma employing quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Expression of PKCalpha in gastric carcinoma was also examined using immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
PKCalpha mRNA expression was significantly upregulated in gastric carcinoma (P = 0.007). Overexpression of PKCalpha mRNA was correlated with distant metastasis (P = 0.040). Patients with high PKCalpha mRNA expression had a significantly poorer overall survival compared with patients with low PKCalpha mRNA expression (P = 0.0113). The uni-variate Cox regression analysis showed that high PKCalpha mRNA expression (P = 0.0363) and depth of invasion (P = 0.0443) were two significant prognostic markers for gastric carcinoma. In backward stepwise multi-variate analysis, PKCalpha mRNA overexpression was also proved to be an independent prognostic marker for gastric carcinoma (P = 0.0275).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that overexpression of PKCalpha mRNA has correlation with distant metastasis and may be an independent prognostic marker for gastric carcinoma.
Lin
Kai-Yuan
KY
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Fang
Chia-Lang
CL
Uen
Yih-Huei
YH
Chang
Chun-Chao
CC
Lou
Horng-Yuan
HY
Hsieh
Ching-Ruey
CR
Tiong
Cheng
C
Pan
Shiann
S
Chen
Sheng-Hsuan
SH
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D015996:Survival Rate
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha