Abstract
The receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL)/RANK pathway plays an important role in the prognosis of several solid tumor types, but its role in gastric cancer prognosis has been poorly characterized. A total of 116 gastric cancer patients who underwent surgical resection were enrolled in this study. Expressions of RANKL and RANK in gastric cancer tissues were detected using immunohistochemical staining. Thirty-eight patients (33%) showed a high level of RANKL expression and 61 patients (53%) showed a high level of RANK expression. There was a positive correlation between expressions of RANKL and RANK (P=0.014, r=0.221). A high level of RANKL expression indicated shorter overall survival (OS) (P=0.008), and was associated with a higher pathological tumor/lymph node/metastasis (pTNM) stage (P=0.035), while no significant correlation was detected between RANK expression and clinicopathological parameters. RANKL also predicted poor prognosis in patients with high RANK expression (P=0.008) and Bormann's type III/IV (P=0.002). Furthermore, RANKL expression correlated with pTNM stage according to high RANK expression (P=0.009), while no significance was found in patients with low RANK expression (P=1.000). Together, our results revealed that high expression of RANKL could predict worse outcomes in gastric cancer especially combined with RANK detection, and thereby this pathway could be a useful prognostic indicator of gastric cancer.
Highlights
Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in China [1], with the highest incidence rate in Eastern Asia
Previous reports showed that the receptor activator of nuclear factor kB ligand (RANKL)/RANK pathway was related to tumor progression and migration in breast cancer, prostate cancer, and RANKL expression predicts poor prognosis in GC
We found that more patients with high RANKL expression were at late pathological tumor/lymph node/metastasis (pTNM) stage (P=0.035)
Summary
Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in China [1], with the highest incidence rate in Eastern Asia. Previous reports showed that the RANKL/RANK pathway was related to tumor progression and migration (especially bone metastasis) in breast cancer, prostate cancer, and RANKL expression predicts poor prognosis in GC We found that more patients with high RANKL expression were at late pTNM stage (P=0.035).
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