THE EXPRESSION OF THYMIDYLATE SYNTHASE IN THE TRIPLE CANCERS INCLUDING STOMACH CANCER

Abstract

With respect to the immunohistochemical expression of TS, 18 cases of triple cancers were studied and all included gastric cancer. Of the gastric cancers, 3 were synchronous and the others were metachronous against 1 or 2 other cancers. The histological stages of gastric cancer ranged from stage I to IV, and included 9, 5, 2 and 2 cases in the ascending order of stage, respectively. Overall expression of TS was 38.9% in gastric cancers. Chronologically, the rates were 12.5%, 37.5% and 50.0% in preceded, simultaneous and followed gastric cancers, respectively. TS was detectable in 76.0% of other cancers examined, of which colorectal cancer composed one third. Among 10 cases in which TS was examined in each triple cancer site, 2 had 3 cancers with TS(+), 5 had 2 cancers with TS(+) and 3 had 1 cancer with TS(+) and none had TS(-) in all. Prognosis was poorer for the group with positive TS in more than 2 cancer sites than in less TS positivity. Therefore, it was considered that the prognosis of the triple cancer patients could be more predicted by combining TS positivity of each cancer.