title: Mesothelin expression correlates with prolonged patient survival in gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mesothelin expression is found in normal mesothelium, and cancerous mesothelin has been recently reported in ovarian and pancreas cancer. The clinicopathological implications of mesothelin expression have been discussed with respect to antitumor immunological mechanisms. However, there is no information on mesothelin expression in gastric cancer. The purpose of the current study is to identify the clinical significance of mesothelin in gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 212 gastric cancer patients who received R0 gastrectomy at Kagoshima University Hospital were enrolled in this study. Mesothelin was detected immunohistochemically and visualized by ABC method. Intensity of cancerous mesothelin was divided into two categories (0-50%: negative group and 51-100%: positive group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mesothelin expression was detected in the cellular membrane. In accordance with the previous evaluation, patients were divided into two groups [mesothelin-positive group: 124 (59%) and mesothelin-negative group: 88 (41%)]. The mesothelin-positive group had significantly more nodal involvement and significantly deeper tumor invasion than the mesothelin-negative group (P < 0.05). However, by analysis confined to the 117 advanced gastric cancer patients, the 5-year survival rate of the mesothelin-positive group was 55%, which was significantly better than that of the mesothelin-negative group. Multivariate analysis revealed that mesothelin expression is one of the independent prognostic factors of gastric cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cancerous mesothelin expression in gastric cancer may be a useful tool to predict patient survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology and Digestive Surgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School, Kagoshima, Japan. redcross@m.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: Sumiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishigami
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arigami
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uenosono
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurahara
authors.forename: Yuto
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchikado
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kijima
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitazono
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinchi
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Natsugoe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D000090204:Mesothelin; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D000090204:Mesothelin