title: Immunohistochemical detection of RET proto-oncogene product in tumoral and nontumoral mucosae of gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To detect RET (REarranged during Transfection) protein by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 210 samples were employed, of which 197 specimens were from 91 surgical pieces of gastric adenocarcinoma, comprising 91 tumoral, 91 nontumoral, and 15 intramucosal dysplastic samples. Another 13 gastric mucosae were from cancer-free patients. Two RET antibodies (clones Ret01 and 3F8) were used separately for IHC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the nontumoral samples from gastric cancers, 28 were positive (31%) with either antibody Ret01 or 3F8. The positive stains were often located in deep pyloric glands and associated with chronic inflammation patterns (p = 0.045). RET positivity correlated with phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor, which had been previously tested (p = 0.021). In tumoral samples RET was positive in 7 cases with antibody Ret01 (8%) and 9 cases with 3F8 (10%). In 15 intramucosal dysplastic samples RET was detected in 6 cases with antibody Ret01 and 8 cases with 3F8. There was an accordance between the IHC using antibodies Ret01 and 3F8 in tumoral, nontumoral, and intramucosal dysplastic samples (p = 0.500, 1.000, and 0.500). The 13 samples from cancer-free patients were always negative.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Activation of RET proto-oncogene may be one of the molecular pathogeneses in gastric inflammatory and tumoral diseases.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jian Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ping Ping
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; C099282:RET protein, human