Relationship between clinicopathological features and mucin phenotypes of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate a relationship between the clinicopathological features and mucin phenotypes in advanced gastric adenocarcinoma (AGA).


METHODS
Immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine the mucin phenotypes in 38 patients with differentiated adenocarcinomas (DACs), 9 with signet-ring cell carcinomas (SIGs), and 48 with other diffuse-type adenocarcinomas (non-SIGs) of AGA. The mucin phenotypes were classified into 4 types: gastric (G), gastrointestinal (GI), intestinal, and unclassified.


RESULTS
The G-related mucin phenotypes were highly expressed in all the histological subtypes of AGA. The expression of the GI phenotype in SIG patients was lower than that in DAC patients (P = 0.02), and this phenotype was observed in 56% of the non-SIG patients in the intramucosal layer. Among non-SIG cases, the expression of the GI phenotype was significantly higher in patients with extended adenocarcinomas and those with positive rates of lymph node metastasis. There was no difference between the expressions of the G and other GI phenotypes factors. Among DAC and non-SIG patients, there were no differences between the survival rates of the corresponding patient groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The GI phenotype might possess more invasive characteristics than the G phenotype in non-SIG. Neither of the phenotypes indicated a poor prognosis of DAC and non-SIG.
Department of General Surgical Science (Surgery I), Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-15 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan. ftoki@gcmc.pref.gunma.jp
Fumiaki
F
Toki
Atsushi
A
Takahashi
Ryusuke
R
Aihara
Kyoichi
K
Ogata
Hiroyuki
H
Ando
Tetsuro
T
Ohno
Erito
E
Mochiki
Hiroyuki
H
Kuwano
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D018279:Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009077:Mucins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009077:Mucins; D020033:Protein Isoforms