Evaluation of the frequency of c-Met and HER2 expressions in gastric carcinoma and their association with clinicopathologic factors.

Abstract

72 Background: Met and HER-2 protoonkogenes encode a receptor tyrosin kinase c-Met and HER-2. We aimed to determine the frequency of c-Met and HER-2 overexpression in gastric cancer and investigated their association with clinicopathological factors. Methods: Patients withstage I-IV disease were analyzed. Overexpressions of c-Met and HER-2 were determined with immunohistochemistry. Results: A total of 143 patients, 97 male 46 female were enrolled. C-Met score was 3 (+) in 31.5 %, 2 (+) in 27.3% and 1 (+) in 10.5% of the patients. There was no statistically significant differences in age, sex, tumor location, differentiation, Lauren classification, TNM staging, presence of distant metastasis, depth of tumor invasion (T), lymphovascular invasion, and survival between c-Met subgroups. HER-2 was 3(+) in 9.1%, 2(+) in 9.8%, and 1(+) in 16.1% of the patients. HER-2 overexpression was associated with better differentiation, intestinal subtype and advanced stage. C-Met overexpression was 84.6% in HER-2 3(+), 64.3% in HER-2 2(+), 69.6%, HER-2 1 (+) and 51.6% in HER-2 (-) patients. There was no statistically significant difference in survival between the c-Met overexpression positive and negative Stage III and IV patients. The median survival was 11.6 ± 6.3 months in HER-2 overexpression positive Stage IV patients and 11.9±6.8 months in HER-2 overexpression negative stage IV patients. There were no statistically significant differences in survival between the two groups. Conclusions: There is an association between c-Met positivity and HER-2 overexpression. C-Met was not associated with any negative prognostic factors in gastric cancer.