Frequent expression of thymidine phosphorylase in Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma of diffuse type.
The aim of the present study was to elucidate the etiological roles of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the development of EBV-associated GC (EBV-GC), EBV-GCs and non EBV-GCs were compared with regard to the expression of thymidine phosphorylase (TP), which is known to have angiogenic activity in various tumor tissues.


METHODS
TP expression was examined by immunohistochemistry assay among 156 gastric carcinoma cases (21 EBV-GC cases and 135 non EBV-GC cases).


RESULTS
The frequency of tumors with TP expression was nearly twice as high in EBV-GCs (71%) than in non EBV-GCs (37%) (p=0.005). However, such an association was only observed in Lauren's diffuse-type tumors.


CONCLUSIONS
Our finding suggests that the mechanism involved in TP expression of gastric carcinoma appears to be different in intestinal- and diffuse-type tumors.
Koriyama
Chihaya
C
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan. fiy@m.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
Akiba
Suminori
S
Shimaoka
Shunji
S
Itoh
Tetsuhiko
T
Akiyama
Shin-ichi
S
Eizuru
Yoshito
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase / Q000032:analysis*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics
D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase