Expression and amplification of CerbB-2 oncogene in gastric adenocarcinoma and its significance

Abstract

Objective To investigate the significance of CerbB-2 oncogene in the occurrence and development of gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods By using immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization, 60 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma tissue, 60 cases of normal margin of mucosal tissue and 30 cases of normal gastric mucosa tissue were detected for the expression and amplification of CerbB-2. Results The positive rate of CerbB-2 expression in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues, normal margin of mucosal tissues and normal gastric mucosa tissues were 31.7 %, 8.33 % and 3.33 %; The positive rate of CerbB-2 amplification of these were 28.3 %, 5 % and 0. There were significant differences between gastric adenocarcinoma tissues and the others in the expression and amplification of CerbB-2. The expression and amplification of CerbB-2 in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues had no correlation with age,gender,tumor size or tumor differentiation degree of patients' (P >0.05), but were correlated with the extent of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and clinical stage(P <0.05). Conclusion CerbB-2 is closely related to the occurrence and development of gastric adenocarcinoma, and can be considered as an important index for determining the biological behavior of gastric cancer. Key words: Stomach neoplasms; Adenocarcinoma; CerbB-2; In situ hybridization, fluorescence