Microarray analysis of cytokine expression in the gastrointestinal stromal tumors with different malignant potential.

Abstract

e15701 Background: Nowadays, a variety of prognostic criteria, which established merely based on clinicopathologic features, have been proposed, validated and widely used in practice. Numerous studies have confirmed tumor location, size and mitotic index were closely associated with the prognoses of GISTs. However, no method has yet been proven sufficient power to discriminate malignant potential and to predict biological behavior in all cases. In fact, the changes in cytokine level may result in alteration of tumor's microenvironment, which is considered to be related in the course of malignization for many tumors. Methods: The expression profile of cytokine in 4 patients with gastric GISTs (low malignant potential in 2 cases: 2x2cm, 3/50HPF; 2x1.8cm, 2/50HPF. high malignant potential in 2 cases: 12x10cm, 14/50HPF; 15x12cm, 16/50HPF), along with matched normal gastric tissue was evaluated by microarray. Results: The majority of cytokines expression between adjacent tissue of low and high malignant potential GISTs was similar. The high malignant potential GISTs exhibiting a notable upregulation of 41 cytokines, whereas a total of 23 cytokines with decreased expression in comparison to those with low malignant potential, after considering the expression level of cytokines among matched normal tissue. The cytokines expressed differentially including SPARCL1, MMP13 and FAP have been proven enormously valuable for assessing the prognoses of many tumors. Conclusions: Abnormally expressed cytokines in GISTs may play a vital role in promoting tumor progression, and detection of these cytokines proteins is useful to understand GISTs- malignization mechanisms and is also helpful to evaluate risk of recurrence in the treatment of GISTs patients.