title: Differences in HER2 over-expression between proximal and distal gastric cancers in the Chinese population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate HER2 expression and its correlation with clinicopathological variables between proximal and distal gastric cancers (GC) in the Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunostaining of HER2 was performed and scored on a scale of 0-3 in 957 consecutive GC cases, according to the revised scoring criteria of HercepTest(TM) as used in the ToGA trial. Correlations between HER2 expression and clinicopathologic variables of proximal (n = 513) and distal (n = 444) GC were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results showed that HER2 expression was significantly higher in the proximal than in distal GC (P < 0.05). Overall, HER2 expression was significantly higher in male patients (P < 0.01), the Lauren intestinal type (P < 0.001), low-grade (P < 0.001) and pM1 (P < 0.01) diseases, respectively. There was a significant difference in HER2 expression among some pTNM stages (P < 0.05). In contrast, HER2 expression in the distal GC was significantly higher in male patients (P < 0.001), low-grade histology (P < 0.001), the Lauren intestinal type (P < 0.001), and pM1 (P < 0.001). In the proximal GC, however, higher HER2 expression scores were observed only in tumors with low-grade histology (P < 0.001) and the Lauren intestinal type (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HER2 over-expression in GC of Chinese patients was significantly more common in proximal than in distal GC, and significantly correlated with the Lauren intestinal type and low-grade histology in both proximal and distal GC, and with pM1 disease and male gender in distal GC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Shan
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Jie-Yu
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chang-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yi-Fen
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fan-Qing
authors.initials: FQ
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Hong-Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: An-Ning
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001706:Biopsy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human
keywords: Clinicopathology; Gastric cancer; HER2; Immunohistochemistry