THE RELATION BETWEEN THE GROWTH-PATTERNS OF GASTRIC-CARCINOMA AND THEEXPRESSION OF HEPATOCYTE GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR (C-MET), AUTOCRINE MOTILITY FACTOR-RECEPTOR, AND UROKINASE-TYPE PLASMINOGEN-ACTIVATOR RECEPTOR
K. Taniguchi et al., THE RELATION BETWEEN THE GROWTH-PATTERNS OF GASTRIC-CARCINOMA AND THEEXPRESSION OF HEPATOCYTE GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR (C-MET), AUTOCRINE MOTILITY FACTOR-RECEPTOR, AND UROKINASE-TYPE PLASMINOGEN-ACTIVATOR RECEPTOR, Cancer, 82(11), 1998, pp. 2112-2122
BACKGROUND. Hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-met), autocrine motil
ity factor receptor (AMFR), and urokinase-type plasminogen activator r
eceptor (uPAR) are known to play important roles in tumor cell migrati
on, invasion, and metastasis. The authors studied the relation between
the expression patterns of these genes and the growth patterns of hum
an gastric carcinoma. METHODS. The relation between the expression of
c-met, AMFR, and uPAR and clinicopathologic parameters was studied usi
ng immunohistochemical preparations from 102 paraffin embedded primary
gastric carcinomas. RESULTS. Of 102 cases, 43 (42%) had overexpressio
n of c-met, and AMFR and uPAR immunoreactivity was observed in 41 case
s (40%) and 38 cases (37%), respectively. Macroscopic examination reve
aled that all three genes were expressed in 1 (3%) of 32 early stage g
astric carcinomas, 0 (0%) of 29 localized carcinomas (Borrmann types 1
and 2), and 16 (39%) of 41 infiltrating carcinomas (Borrmann types 3
and 4). In particular, the incidence (68%, 13 of 19 cases) of simultan
eous expression of the three genes was significantly higher in Borrman
n type 4 gastric carcinoma than in the other macroscopic types (P < 0.
01). The overexpression of these genes was also closely associated wit
h lymph node metastasis and peritoneal dissemination. In addition, the
simultaneous overexpression of the three genes was associated with po
sitive lymphatic vessel invasion and infiltrating type. Patients with
tumors that simultaneously expressed all three genes had significantly
poorer prognoses than those with tumors expressing only one or two of
the genes. Furthermore, the number of genes expressed was closely rel
ated to the prognosis, and the Cox proportional hazards model identifi
ed this as one of the independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS. The
se results suggest that the expression patterns of c-met, AMFR, and uP
AR may be closely associated with the progression and invasion of gast
ric carcinoma as well as the prognoses of the patients. Borrmann type
4 gastric carcinoma is characterized by the diverse and simultaneous e
xpression of these three genes. (C) 1998 American Cancer Society.