Y. Yonemura et al., PREDICTION OF THE PROGNOSIS OF PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC-CANCER BY ERBB-2TISSUE STATUS AND EXPRESSION OF PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN, International journal of oncology, 2(6), 1993, pp. 1033-1037
Correlation between erbB-2 tissue status and expression of proliferati
ng cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was studied in 164 gastric carcinomas,
and these results were compared with the risk of metastasis and progno
sis. Thirty-one (19%) tumors showe evidence of erbB-2 protein expressi
on, and the PCNA index ranged from 8.2% to 77.2% (mean; 40%). erbB-2 p
rotein positive tumors were most often encountered in the following cl
inicopathological groups: tumors with serosal invasion, lymph node met
astasis, and venous invasion. There was a significant correlation betw
een PCNA index and lymph node metastasis. In addition, erbB-2 positive
tumors showed significantly higher PCNA index than erbB-2 negative tu
mors. Cox prortional hazard model identified lymph node metastasis. In
invasion, liver metastasis, and erbB-2 tissue status as independent p
rognostic factors, but PCNA index was not an independent prognostic fa
ctor. However, by combining erbB-2 tissue status and PCNA index, PCNA
index. was a good prognostic factor particularly in patients with erbB
-2 negative tumors. These results indicate that the determination of e
rbB-2 tissue status, when combined with PCNA index, may be useful in t
he prediction of the prognosis and in deciding the therapeutic schedul
e of patients with gastric cancer.