Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of thymidine phosphorylaseand proliferating cell nuclear antigen in gastric carcinoma

We have reported that thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase) is identical to pl atelet derived-endothelial cell growth factor and that it has an angiogenic activity in vitro and in human carcinoma tissues as well as gastric carcin oma. Recently, we revealed that dThdPase may have an another function(s) be sides angiogenesis in vitro and in human solid tumors. Using immunohistoche mistry, we examined retrospectively whether the expression of dThdPase was correlated with tumor growth, comparing it with the proliferating cell nucl ear antigen labeling index (PCNA LI) and examining their prognostic signifi cance in 116 patients with gastric carcinoma. A direct correlation of these Two factors was observed (R = 0.659, P < 0.001). A multivariate Cox regres sion analysis showed that both dThdPase positivity and PCNA LI were indepen dent prognostic factors, as were depth of invasion and lymph node metastasi s. Furthermore, the patients with dThdPase-positive/high PCNA LI tumors had the worst prognoses. The combination of dThdPase and PCNA expression is a better tool for predicting the prognosis of patients with gastric carcinoma than the expression of either of them alone. These results raise the possi bility that dThdPase may have a function(s) involved in tumor growth beside s angiogenesis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.