title: Co-expression of keratinocyte growth factor and K-sam is an independent prognostic factor in gastric carcinoma.
abstract: Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) from gastric fibroblasts have been reported to stimulate proliferation of scirrhous gastric cancer cells with K-samII amplification in a paracrine manner. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the co-expression of K-sam and KGF in gastric carcinomas. A total of 136 primary gastric tumors were investigated by staining with antibodies against K-sam and KGF. K-sam expression on cancer cells and KGF expression on fibroblasts was estimated. The relationship between the K-sam and/or KGF expression and the clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. K-sam expression was positive in 42 (31%) of 136 gastric carcinomas. K-sam expression was positively correlated with scirrhous cancer (p<0.001), diffuse type (p=0.031), invasion depth (p=0.018) and infiltration type (p<0.001). Prognosis of K-sam positive patients was significantly poorer than that of K-sam negative patients (p<0.001). The prognosis of patients with both K-sam and KGF positive tumors was significantly worse in comparison to either negative tumors (p<0.001). In 94 patients with a curative resection, a multivariate analysis revealed the co-expression of K-sam and KGF to be an independent prognostic factor (p=0.029). In conclusion, the co-expression of K-sam and KGF in gastric cancer might be a useful prognostic factor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 545-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyokawa
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yashiro
authors.forename: Kosei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirakawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D051523:Fibroblast Growth Factor 7 / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D051497:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2 / Q000032:analysis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D051523:Fibroblast Growth Factor 7; C496353:FGFR2 protein, human; D051497:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2