title: Clinicopathologic significance of HER-2/neu protein expression and gene amplification in gastric carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the HER-2/neu protein expression and gene amplification in gastric carcinoma and their relation.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and forty-five formalin-fixed and paraffin- embedded tumor tissue samples from Chinese gastric carcinoma patients were studied with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods. Clinicopathologic data about all patients were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of HER-2 3+, HER-2 2+ and HER2 1+ were measurable in 6.9%, 8.3% and 17.2% of the samples, respectively. No HER-2 was stained in 67.6% of the samples. FISH showed that HER-2 gene was amplified in 18 samples, 10 HER-2 3+ samples, 5 HER-2 2+ samples, and 3 HER-2 1+ samples with IHC staining. HER-2 status was not correlated with the sex and age of patients, and tumor size, location or differentiation, but with the depth of invasion, TNM stage, lymph node and distant metastasis as well as histopathological classification of gastric cancer (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All samples with IHC as HER-2 expression should be analyzed with FISH. Detection of HER-2 gene amplification can assess the malignant biological behaviors and prognosis of gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China. shyyan2008phd@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Shi-Yan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jian-Gao
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Guo-Quan
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Yong-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Bao-Hua
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yi-Qun
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D005784:Gene Amplification; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016707:Tissue Fixation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human