title: Immunohistochemical analysis of thymidylate synthase expression in gastric carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological parameters and survival.
abstract: The correlation of thymidylate synthase (TS) expression in gastric cancers with tumor histology and prognostic or predictive information remains unclear. Most studies have involved Asian populations, with few conducted in European cohorts. Moreover, all published studies analyze TS expression using semi-quantitative methods. This retrospective study evaluated the association of TS expression in tumor cells with gastric carcinoma histological type, with selected clinicopathological parameters, and with the prognosis of patients who underwent surgical treatment. TS expression was detected using immunochemistry and objectively assessed by computerized image analysis of tumor cells in 100 gastric cancers. We found that high TS expression was significantly more common in intestinal than in diffuse type of gastric cancer according to Lauren classification (P=0.0003); in type I carcinomas compared to type IV according to Goseki classification (P=0.002); and in gastric cancers in men than women (P=0.04). Low TS expression was found more often in carcinomas in the middle and lower third of the stomach than in cancers in the upper third of the stomach (P=0.009 and P=0.001, respectively). In the subgroup of 25 patients without lymph node metastases (stage I+II), high TS expression was associated with better DFS (83% for high TS expression versus 38,5% for low TS expression, P=0.03). The results (1) indicate significant correlation between the Lauren and Goseki histopathological classifications of gastric cancer and TS expression in tumor cells, (2) suggest that high TS expression may be a positive prognostic marker with regard to DFS in patients with gastric cancer without involvement of regional lymph nodes who underwent radical surgical treatment and were not treated with preoperative chemotherapy. Prognostic results need confirmation in larger cohorts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Wiesława
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rogoza-Mateja
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Domagala
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Molecular Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaczmarczyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mieżyńska-Kurtycz
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ławniczak
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Violetta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sulżyc-Bielicka
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bielicki
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karpińska-Kaczmarczyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland. wenek@pum.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Wenancjusz
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Domagala
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase