Characterization of oncogene suppressor marker expression in patients with submucosal gastric carcinoma

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical significance of p53 and p21(ras) p21(wafl), p27(kip1) and p16(ink4a) expression in cases of early gastric cancer. A total of 81 patients who had undergone gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy between 1971 and 2004 were retrospectively investigated. The immunohistochemical expression of p21ras, p53, p21waf1.cip1, p27kip1 and p16ink4a in the tissues was evaluated. In normal, metaplastic and tumoral mucosa, p53 was positive in 53, 87.3, and 87.1% of the cases, respectively. In the same tissues, p21ras was positive in 85.3, 86 and 96.8%, respectively. Positivity for p16ink4a was detected in 46.3, 91.1 and 86% of the cases, respectively, whereas p27kip1 was positive in 60, 94.7 and 95.3%, and p21wafl/ cip1 was positive in 32.4, 72.7 and 71.4% of the cases, respectively. All the tumors were positive for p53. Tumors with lymph node invasion presented with overexpression (+ 4) of p53 in 47% of the cases vs. 17% of patients who did not have lymph node involvement. Therefore, higher expression of p53, p21ras and p21wafl/ cip1 in the tumor exhibited a statistically significant association with lymph node involvement.