The relationship between c-erbB-2 oncogene expression and clinicopathological factors in gastric cancer

Gastric carcinoma is one of the most common carcinomas and a leading cause of death from cancer in Turkey. The relationship between clinicopathologica l features of the disease and oncogenes is under investigation. In this ret rospective study we investigated the relationships between expression of c- erbB-2 oncoprotein and grade, stage and pathological characteristics of the tumour, and prognosis. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections w ere prepared from gastrectomy specimens from 55 patients with gastric carci noma. The tissue sections were stained immunohistochemically to reveal c-er bB-2 protein. Six (10%) of the tumours stained positively for c-erbB-2 prot ein. There was no statistically significant association (P > 0.5) between c -erbB-2 staining and tumour grade, stage or pathological characteristics (n ecrosis, lymph-node infiltration), or between staining and prognosis. The r esults suggest that overexpression of c-erb-B-2 protein is not related to t he pathological characteristics of the tumour in gastric carcinoma and is n ot an important prognostic indicator.