title: CD44(+) CD324(-) expression and prognosis in gastric cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the frequency of cancer stem cell marker CD44 combined CD324 expression in gastric cancer specimens and association of the expression with survival of gastric cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 203 patients with primary gastric cancer who underwent curative gastric resection with lymphadenectomy were studied. The expression of CD44 and CD324 was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and the association of CD44 and CD324 expression analyzed by clinicopathological characteristics. Survival of the patients was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CD44(+) CD324(-) tumors showed strong correlation with positive lymph node metastasis. Patients with CD44(-) CD324(+) had a significantly better prognosis (54.8%) than that with CD44(+) CD324(-) (24.5%). A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model using those variables associated with survival in our study (depth of invasion, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, gastrectomy, CD44 expression, CD324 expression, CD44 and CD324 expression) revealed that CD44(+) CD324(-) expression (P = 0.005) was one of significant independent prognostic indicator, whereas CD44 expression (P = 0.081), CD324 expression (P = 0.068) was not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CD44(+) CD324(-) expression was one of significant independent prognostic survival factors for patients with gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Pin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C497483:CD44 protein, human; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors
keywords: CD324; CD44; cancer stem cell; gastric cancer; prognosis