Abstract
Objective:Gastric cancer is one of the oncological challenges, and tendency toward target therapy in this cancer has been increased. Controversy still exists on prognostic value of HER2/neu expression and its relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and survival of gastric cancer patients. In this regard, the present study examined the status of HER2/neu in patients with gastric cancer and its prognostic effects.Methods:Pathological samples of 97 gastric cancer patients diagnosed over the last 8 or 9 years (from 2008 to the end of 2017) and treated with 5-fluorouracil, Docetaxel, and Cisplatin (TCF) were studied in this investigation. Patients were assigned to two groups according to their HER2/neu status. First group included patients with positive HER2/neu (Score 3) and second group involved patients with negative HER2/neu (Score 0 and 1). Patients were compared in terms of disease stage, survival rate, and mortality.Results:The mean age of patients was 58 years old. There were 75 men and 22 women in this study. In terms of disease stage, 4, 21, 41, and 31 patients were in stage I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Using IHC method, it was found that 27, 23, 25, and 22 patients had HER2/neu expression with score 0, score +1, score 2+ and score+3, respectively. We discovered that expression of positive HER2/neu was associated with male sex. We also observed that survival and mortality rates following treatment initiation were significantly different between HER2/neu positive and negative gastric cancer patients (P<0.01). Conclusion:Evaluation of HER2/neu status in gastric cancer patients showed that HER2/neu 3+ expression could reduce the patients’ survival. Therefore, it is recommended that patients who may benefit from trastuzumab, be treated. A clinical multi-center trial should be also considered for use of this drug in adjuvant cases.
Highlights
Gastric adenocarcinoma accounts for 90-95% of gastric malignancies, and has been considered as one of the most common causes of cancer-induced death throughout the world (Kamangar et al, 2006)
Controversy still exists on prognostic value of HER2/neu expression and its relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and survival of gastric cancer patients
We discovered that expression of positive HER2/neu was associated with male sex
Summary
Gastric adenocarcinoma accounts for 90-95% of gastric malignancies, and has been considered as one of the most common causes of cancer-induced death throughout the world (Kamangar et al, 2006). About 2,800 new cases of cancer and 10,960 cases of cancer-induces death were reported in the United States in 2017 (American Cancer Society, 2017). Gastric adenocarcinoma is divided into spreading and intestinal subtypes (Guggenheim and Shah, 2011). The intestine type of gastric adenocarcinoma usually occurs in people over age 50 with higher prevalence among men. The incidence of its spreading type is more common at lower ages with higher prevalence among women (Guggenheim et al, 2004). The prevalence of its intestinal type has dramatically declined in the United States (Anderson et al, 2010). The incidence of the spreading type has not significantly changed over the past few decades
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