title: The predictive role of Bcl-2 expression in operable locally advanced or metastatic gastric carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gastric carcinoma is an aggressive disease with different epidemiologic and clinical profiles. Combination chemotherapy containing docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil/5-FU (DCF) is a frequently used regimen in metastatic gastric cancer. We studied the role of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression in predicting the response to DCF combination chemotherapy in metastatic gastric carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included patients with pathologically confirmed locally advanced, surgically inoperable gastric carcinoma, or with metastatic disease. For immunohistochemical staining of Bcl-2 oncoprotein, lyophilized mouse monoclonal antibody (clone100/D5, 1:50, Thermo Scientific, Fremont, ABD) was used. Bcl-2 expression was evaluated with respect to the nuclear and cytoplasmic staining of the cells. Staining > 10% was accepted as positive and ≤ 10% as negative.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bcl-2 expression was positive in 5 (23.8%) patients and negative in 16 (76.2%), while partial response was achieved in 12 (57%) patients. No complete response was seen in any patient. The effect of positive Bcl-2 expression on survival was statistically significant by log-rank test (p=0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The patient group that expressed Bcl-2 survived longer confirming that Bcl-2 expression is a good prognostic factor in advanced-stage patients. We believe that Bcl-2 expression has an additional contribution in predicting response to this chemotherapy combination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Antalya Education and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey. mustafayildirim7@yahoo.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Suren
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goktas
authors.forename: U D
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Dilli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Copuroglu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sezer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2