title: Immune clearance gastric carcinoma cells in ascites by activating caspase-9-induced apoptosis.
abstract: Floating gastric adenocarcinoma cells in ascitic fluid are the main cause of peritoneal dissemination. Activation of apoptosis is an important mechanism by which tumor cells are eliminated by the immune surveillance system. Hence, we examined caspase-9 expression and the apoptosis in gastric adenocarcinoma cells in ascitic fluid using immunohistochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction and in situ cell death detection kits, flow cytometry. The results revealed strong expression of caspase-9 in 58.49% (31/53) malignant cells and a relatively weak expression of caspase-9 in 41.51% (22/53) malignant cells. The proportion of apoptotic cells in 31 malignant cases with strong caspase-9 expression (35.14 ± 3.42)% was significantly higher than that in 22 malignant cases with relatively weak caspase-9 expression (17.29 ± 7.62)% or in mesothelial cells (10.76 ± 4.21%; p < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that the patients with low caspase-9 expression showed significantly shorter survival (p < 0.05) than those with high caspase-9 expression. These findings suggest that immune clearance gastric carcinoma cells in ascites activated by caspase-9 helped to improve the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chang-Qing
authors.forename: Lou
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: De-Guang
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qing-Bin
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xiang-Min
authors.forename: Tang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Na
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jian-Hua
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D001201:Ascites / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D001483:Base Sequence; D053453:Caspase 9 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009366:Neoplasm Seeding; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; C506433:CASP9 protein, human; D053453:Caspase 9