The relationship between expression of Her-2 and human papillomavirus and clinicopathological features in esophageal and stomach multiple primary cancers

Abstract

Objective To analyze the relationship between expression of Her-2 protein and the infection of human papillomavirus (HPV) and clinicopathological features in upper gastrointestinal multiple primary cancers, and to explore the relationship between the different histological malignancies in a single-system. Methods 39 patients were primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric/cardia adenocarcinoma. By using immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods, the expression of Her-2 protein in 39 cases of multiple primary cancers specimens were examined, and by using insitu hybridization (ISH) technology, the infection of HPV in the same ones were detected. Results The over-expression of Her-2 protein in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was not significantly relative to the degree of differentiation, the depth of penetration, the lymph node metastasis and the patients'age and gender (P> 0.05). The over-expression of Her-2 protein in gastric adenocarcinoma was closely correlated to the invasion depth and lymph node metastasis (P 0.05). The infection of HPV in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric adenocarcinoma was not significantly relative to the degree of differentiation, the depth of penetration,the lymph node metastasis, and the age and gender of the patients (P> 0.05). In the upper gastrointestinal multiple primary cancers, the Her-2 protein over-expression had the consistency(κ = 0.56, P< 0.05). Meanwhile, the HPV-DNA expression also had the consistency (κ = 0.80, P< 0.05). Conclusion Both Her-2 protein and HPV expression show the consistency in upper gastrointestinal multiple primary cancers,which suggests that Her-2 protein and HPV may be the common oncogenic factors for both esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric adenocarcinoma. Key words: Esophageal neoplasms; Carcinoma, squamous cell; Stomach neoplasms; Adenocarcinoma; Her-2 protein; Human papillomavirus