B. Slesak et al., EXPRESSION OF EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR FAMILY PROTEINS (EGFR,C-ERBB-2 AND C-ERBB-3) IN GASTRIC-CANCER AND CHRONIC GASTRITIS, Anticancer research, 18(4A), 1998, pp. 2727-2732
The expression and coexpression of EGFR, c-erbB-2 and c-erbB-3 in 21 g
astric cancers and 20 chronic gastritis was examined using immunohisto
chemistry on fresh frozen tissues considering clinicopathological vari
ables. Generally, gastric cancer patients showed a higher incidence of
EGFR, c-erbB-2 and c-erbB-3 overexpression than the group with chroni
c gastritis (81% and 43%; 38% and 45%; 35% and 20%,respectively), howe
ver statistically significant differences were found only for EGFR exp
ression (p=0.01). No association between immunoreactivity of all growt
h factor receptors and the histopathological structure of gastric canc
er was observed. EGFR and c-erbB-3 proteins were detected more frequen
tly in patients with III/IV than in I/II of TNM stages, while c-erbB-2
overexpression was higher in I/II vs. III/IVstages. In chronic gastri
tis with intestinal metaplasia and or coexisting carcinoma lesions, a
higher frequency of the expression of studied proteins was observed in
comparison with chronic gastritis without those alternations; however
,these differences were statistically insignificant. The percentage of
positive cases with coexpression of two proteins was comparable in ga
stric cancer and chronic gastritis (33% and 35%) but the simultaneous
expression of all three receptors was evident only in gastric cancer (
19%). Our results indicate that at least one or two members of EGFR re
lated receptors could appear in the early stages of gastric tumorigene
sis. The enhancement of c-erbB-2 and c-erbB-3 reactivity seems to coop
erate with EGFR activation in the gastric cancer development. Our resu
lts indicate the promotional rather than direct transformational role
for EGFR supergene family; in gastric carcinogenesis.