DECREASED EXPRESSION OF THE METASTASIS SUPPRESSOR GENE KAI1 IN GASTRIC-CANCER

KAI1 was immunohistochemically detected in the lower part of fundic gl ands and intestinal metaplasia in non-cancerous gastric tissues, while only 11.0% (8/73) of cancerous tissues were shown to be positive. The relationship between Various clinicopathological characteristics of p atients with gastric cancer and KAI1 expression in their tumors was th en analyzed to reveal that the incidence of positivity was 16.6% (8/48 ) of patients with stage Ia-ma and 0% (0/25) of patients with stage II Ib-IVb (P < 0.05) and that the incidence of peritoneal or hepatic meta stasis tended to be lower in KAI1-positive tumors than in negative one s. These results suggest that decreased KAI1 expression may be related to the progression of gastric cancer. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Irela nd Ltd. All rights reserved.