Prognostic Indicator In Gastric Carcinoma Research Articles

P-254 Role of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in the prognosis of stomach carcinoma undergoing curative resection

Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker for an immunological response, associated with worse outcomes in many types of cancer. Publications show an association of NLR with poor survival in gastric cancer patients; however, no consensus exists on whether it can be used to prognosticate. In this study, we analyze the association of NLR with gastric cancer treatment outcomes in the Eastern Indian population. We performed a retrospective analysis of hospital records of patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who underwent curative surgery in the Surgical Oncology department at our institute. All surgical and treatment details were obtained. The NLR was calculated based on the patient’s differential count performed pre-operatively. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models (univariate and multivariate) were used for overall survival (OS) analysis. A total of 195 patients with gastric cancer underwent surgery, of which 74 patients underwent surgery with curative intent and had complete data. The mean age was 56.5 (range 29-80) and Male to Female ratio was 2:1. The Median NLR was 2.47, based on which patients were divided into high and low-NLR groups. The 3-year OS was 55.5 and 56.2 months in the low-NLR and high-NLR group, respectively. (p = 0.75; HR 1.14; CI 0.47 - 2.78). No difference in survival among patients with low-NLR and high-NLR was found. The NLR may not be a good prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma.

Prognosis significance of HER2 status and TACC1 expression in patients with gastric carcinoma.

HER2 amplification and/or expression occurs in gastric carcinoma (GC), but the role of HER2 in the prognosis of GC remains unclear. The dysregulation of transforming acidic coiled coil 1 (TACC1), a downstream gene of HER2, is thought to be involved in the development of GC. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and relationship of HER2 and TACC1 in GC. The expression of HER2 and TACC1 was analyzed using immunohistochemistry on 129 primary resected GC patients, and HER2 amplification was additionally determined by FISH. The data on clinicopathological features and relevant prognostic factors in these patients were analyzed. The expression (3+, 2+ and 1+) and the amplification of HER2 was observed in 57 cases (44.2 %) and 25 cases (19.4 %), respectively, and the correlation between HER2 expression and amplification was strong (p < 0.001). According to the FDA criteria, 24 cases (18.6 %) would have been considered as HER2 positive. A total 62 (48.1 %) GC tissues showed positive cytoplasmic staining of TACC1. There was a significant and positive association between TACC1 and HER2. HER2 positive was significantly associated with TNM stage (p = 0.019), and TACC1 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.004) and TNM stage (p = 0.004). TNM stage, TACC1 expression and co-positive of both HER2 and TACC1 were independent prognostic factors. TACC1 expression is an independent prognostic indicator of GC. The correlation between TACC1 expression and HER2-positive status indicated a possible synergistic regulation of the two molecules and co-positive of both HER2 and TACC1 maybe a more valuable prognostic marker.

Tumour Gastrin Expression and Serum Gastrin Concentrations in Dogs with Gastric Carcinoma are Poor Diagnostic Indicators

Hypergastrinaemia is observed commonly in human patients with gastric carcinoma and is associated with atrophic gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection, both of which predispose to development of gastric tumours. Increased expression of gastrin is also described as a prognostic indicator for gastric carcinoma in man. Gastric carcinoma is rare in dogs and generally carries a grave prognosis. In this study, the expression of gastrin was investigated immunohistochemically in gastric biopsy samples from 64 dogs with gastric carcinoma. Serum gastrin concentrations were measured in 15 of these dogs and compared with those of seven healthy control dogs. Tumour tissue expressed gastrin in 8% (5/64) of the dogs with gastric carcinoma. There was no significant difference in serum gastrin concentrations between dogs with gastric carcinoma and healthy controls (P = 0.08). Expression of gastrin in gastric carcinomas is less common in dogs than in man and may therefore not be relied on as a prognostic marker in this species. Serum gastrin concentration alone is also not a useful biomarker for gastric carcinoma in dogs.

Expression and clinical significance of CD73 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in gastric carcinoma

To investigate the expression of CD73 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in human gastric carcinoma, and explore their clinical significance and prognostic value. CD73 and HIF-1α expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry in consecutive sections of tissue samples from 68 gastric carcinoma patients. The peritumor tissues 2 cm away from the tumor were obtained and served as controls. The presence of CD73 and HIF-1α was analyzed by immunohistochemistry using the Envision technique. CD73 and HIF-1α expressions in gastric carcinoma were significantly higher than those in gastric mucosal tissues as control (P < 0.001) and showed a close correlation (Spearman r = 0.390, P = 0.001). Overexpression of CD73 was positively correlated with differentiation of tumor (P = 0.000), histopathology (P = 0.041), depth of invasion (P < 0.001), nodal status (P = 0.003), metastasis (P = 0.013), and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (P < 0.001). High expression of HIF-1α was positively correlated with tumor diameter (P = 0.031), depth of invasion (P = 0.022), and AJCC stage (P = 0.035). The overall survival rate was low in the patients with high expression of CD73 (P < 0.001). Moreover, CD73+/HIF-1α+ patients had the worst prognosis (P < 0.001). CD73 expression was proven to be an independent predictor for patients with gastric carcinoma by both multivariate Cox regression analysis (P = 0.021) and receiver operating characteristic curves (P = 0.001). CD73 expression correlates closely with HIF-1α expression in gastric carcinoma. CD73 could be an independent prognostic indicator for gastric carcinoma.

The overexpression of AP-4 as a prognostic indicator for gastric carcinoma

As a transcription factor belonging to the basic helix-loop-helix leucine-zipper subgroup, AP-4 can control target gene expression by altering cell signal transduction, and regulate growth, development, and cell apoptosis. Under pathological circumstances, it is involved in tumorigenesis. Herein, immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR were used to detect the transcription factor AP-4 expression in gastric cancer, and these data were examined for correlation with histology, pTNM stage, and prognosis. The AP-4 expression rate was 83.67% in a total of 98 gastric cancer tissues, which was significantly higher than 40.91% in non-neoplastic tissues; AP-4 mRNA relative expression shows a significant difference between gastric cancer and normal tissues, and AP-4 expression has a significantly positive correlation with the depth of tumor invasion (P < 0.0001), degree of tumor differentiation (P = 0.0058), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0255), and pTNM stage (P = 0.001). Survival analysis showed that AP-4-positive patients' median survival time (12.60 months) was significantly shorter than that (41.40 months) of AP-4-negative patients. AP-4 expression in gastric cancer is associated with clinicopathological parameters of gastric cancer, such as differentiation, lymph node metastasis, depth of invasion (P = 0.0010), and pTNM stage. What's more, AP-4 overexpression indicated a worse prognosis for patients. So AP-4 may be a molecular marker to predict the progression and prognosis of the tumor.

Prognostic nutritional Index: A tool to predict the biological aggressiveness of gastric carcinoma

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), which is calculated based on the serum albumin concentration and the peripheral blood lymphocyte count, has been used to assess the immunological and nutritional condition of patients with digestive diseases. However, its value as an indicator of aggressiveness in gastric carcinoma has not been fully investigated. Two hundred and forty-eight cases of gastric carcinoma were studied with regard to the relationship between the preoperative PNI value and the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients. A lower preoperative PNI value significantly correlated with greater tumor depth, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic permeation, and venous invasion. Moreover, the PNI value proved to be an independent prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma. The PNI value can be a useful tool to predict the prognosis of patients with gastric carcinoma.

Myofibroblasts are associated with the progression of scirrhous gastric carcinoma.

Fibroblasts, particularly myofibroblasts, affect the malignant progression of cancer cells in vitro. However, to date few reports have addressed the clinical significance of myofibroblasts in the gastric cancer microenvironment. This study examined the correlation between myofibroblast expression and clinicopathological features in gastric carcinoma. A total of 265 primary gastric tumors resected by gastrectomy were stained with antibodies against α-smooth muscle actin and vimentin. Stromal cells positive for vimentin were considered to be fibroblasts. Myofibroblasts were defined as fibroblasts positive for α-smooth muscle staining. Myofibroblast-positive gastric carcinoma was established when myofibroblasts accounted for more than 25% of fibroblasts in the cancer stroma. Myofibroblast expression was positive in 92 (35%) of the 265 gastric carcinomas. Myofibroblast expression showed a significantly (p<0.001) high frequency in advanced gastric cancers (76 of 146), in comparison to the early stage cancers (16 of 119). Taken together, there was a statistically significant correlation between myofibroblast expression and scirrhous type gastric cancer (p<0.001), lymph node metastasis (p<0.001), lymphatic invasion (p<0.001) and peritoneal dissemination (p=0.005). The prognosis of patients with tumors positive for myofibroblast expression was significantly (p<0.001) worse, while a multivariate analysis revealed that myofibroblast expression was not an independent prognostic factor. These findings suggest that myofibroblasts are associated with scirrhous gastric cancer. Overexpression of myofibroblasts may therefore be a useful prognostic indicator of gastric carcinoma.

The overexpression of c-met as a prognostic indicator for gastric carcinoma compared to p53 and p21 nuclear accumulation

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship of the immunohistochemical expression of c-met, p53 and p21 with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in gastric carcinomas. We analyzed specimens from 114 gastric cancer patients (median age 64 years, range: 33-86) who underwent gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy. Specimens were categorized according to the tumor differentiation, based on UICC, WHO, Laurén, Ming and Goseki classifications. Specimens were examined immunohistochemically with antibodies against c-met, p53 and p21. The expression was evaluated semiquantitatively and correlated with the clinicopathological parameters. The c-met staining pattern was positive in 73.7%. P53 and p21 were positive in 86.8 and 67.5%, respectively. No significant correlation between c-met or p21 expression and the clinicopathological parameters was seen. A significant increase of p53 expression was observed in stage pT3 and -4. The overexpression of c-met and p53 was significantly associated with a poor prognosis in the univariate survival analysis. In the multivariate analysis this impact was maintained for c-met. P21 proved to be a significant prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. Our data suggest that the overexpression of c-met and p21 may represent independent prognostic factors in gastric carcinoma.

Integrin ανβ6 Acts as a Prognostic Indicator in Gastric Carcinoma

Aims To investigate the relationships between integrin ανβ6 expression and the clinical–pathological features of gastric carcinoma and whether integrin ανβ6 can act as a prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma. Materials and methods We generated the microarray of 300 human gastric carcinoma specimens, and used the method of immunohistochemistry to investigate the expression of ανβ6 in them and the relationships between the expression of ανβ6 and the clinical–pathological features of the tumours. Meanwhile, we retrospectively analysed the relationship between ανβ6 expression and the survival times of the patients. Results The expression of ανβ6 was detected in 36.7% of gastric carcinomas, and the expression was associated with Lauren type, differentiation, N stage and TNM stage of the tumours (the P values were 0.004, 0.035, 0.024 and 0.001, respectively). The Kaplan–Meier plot showed that patients who were ανβ6 negative had much longer survival times than those who were ανβ6 positive ( P < 0.0001). The survival estimates showed a striking difference in median survival between the negative and positive ανβ6 expression patients, especially in early stage tumours. Univariate analysis indicated that significant factors for prognosis included ανβ6 expression, differentiation, TNM stage, T stage, N stage, M stage and R classification (R0: potentially curative resection; R1: had residual microscopic disease after resection; R2: had residual macroscopic disease after resection), whereas in multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model, only ανβ6 expression, M stage, TNM stage and R classification retained significance for prognosis. Conclusions Positive ανβ6 expression in gastric carcinoma is linked to significantly reduced survival times and, even more important, is that its value as a prognostic marker is significant for early stage tumours.

Expression of Cdx2 is associated with clinicopathologic features and prognosis of gastric carcinoma

To explore the correlation between the Cdx2 expression and clinicopathologic features of patients with gastric carcinoma, and to evaluate the role of Cdx2 as a prognostic indicator of gastric carcinoma. The expression of Cdx2 was studied using immunohistochemistry of paraffin-embedded tumor specimens from 154 patients who underwent D2 resection for gastric adenocarcinoma from 1994 to 1998. Cdx2 expression was detected in 35.1% (54 of 154) of gastric carcinoma cases. Expression of Cdx2 was significantly higher in intestinal-type carcinomas than in diffuse-type carcinomas, and in cases with TNM stage I and II than those with TNM stage III and IV (P<0.001 and P=0.012, respectively). There was a clear negative correlation between Cdx2 expression and lymph node metastasis (P=0.049). The patients with Cdx2-positive expression showed higher survival rate than those with Cdx2-negative expression (P<0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the expression of Cdx2 was the independent prognostic indicator in this series (P<0.001). These data suggest that Cdx2 has significant value in predicting prognosis of gastric carcinoma.

Expression of Cdx2 and Hepatocyte Antigen in Gastric Carcinoma: Correlation with Histologic Type and Implications for Prognosis

This study was designed to (a) analyze the correlation between the expression of Cdx2 and Hep and the clinicopathologic features of patients with gastric carcinoma, and (b) determine the value of combined analysis of Cdx2 and Hep expression in distinguishing histologic types and prognoses of gastric carcinomas. The expression of Cdx2 and Hep were studied using immunohistochemistry of paraffin-embedded tumor specimens from 109 patients who underwent D2 resection for gastric adenocarcinoma from 1995 to 1998. Nuclear Cdx2 and Hep expression was detected in 36.7% (40 of 109) and 54.1% (59 of 109) of gastric carcinoma cases, respectively. Expression of Cdx2 and Hep was significantly higher in intestinal-type carcinomas than in diffuse-type carcinomas (P = 0.027 and P = 0.037, respectively). There was a clear negative correlation between Cdx2 expression and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.029), as well as between Hep expression and depth of wall invasion (P = 0.011). The patients with Cdx2-positive or Hep-positive expression shows higher survival rate than those with Cdx2-negative or Hep-negative expression (P = 0.0008 and P = 0.003, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that the expression of Cdx2 and Hep were independent prognostic indicators of gastric carcinoma. The combination of Cdx2 and Hep expression was significantly lower in diffuse-type carcinoma than in intestinal or mixed-type carcinoma. Multivariate analysis revealed that Cdx2 and Hep expression was an independent prognostic indicator of gastric carcinoma (P < 0.001). These data suggest that combined analysis of Cdx2 and Hep has significant value in distinguishing histologic types and in predicting the prognosis of gastric carcinoma.

Prognostic implications for gastric carcinoma based on loss of heterozygosity genotypes correlation with clinicopathologic variables

In this study we used polymorphic DNA markers to examine 38 patients with gastric carcinoma for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on five chromosomal arms. The aims were to compare LOH genotyping with the clinicopathologic variables and to identify some genetic differences between early (EGC) and advanced gastric carcinoma (AGC). The frequency of LOH was found in 27 of 38 (71.1%) cases with a low-level LOH in 17 (44.7%) and a high-level LOH (LOH-H) in 10 (26.3%). There was statistical significance found in the differentiation of cells (WD/MD vs. PD [well or moderately differentiated vs. poorly differentiated]), metastasis (absent vs. present), and tumor–node–metastasis stage (I/II vs. III/IV) based on LOH genotyping. The frequency of LOH in the markers of chromosome 6 revealed a significant difference between the early and advanced stages ( P = 0.043). However, there were no differences in each chromosome or in the number of affected chromosomes with an allelic loss between the histologic types EGC and AGC, except for the frequency of the markers on chromosome 22.These findings suggest that LOH genotyping may be another independent prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma, that LOH-H, particularly the LOH on chromosome 6, could be associated with an unfavorable prognosis, while the LOH on chromosome 22 may be related to the histologic progression of gastric carcinoma.

Significance of preoperative elevation of serum C-reactive protein as an indicator of prognosis in esophageal carcinoma

Background: Preoperative elevation of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) has been reported to be a prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma and colorectal carcinoma. The aim of this study was to establish the significance of preoperative elevation of serum CRP as an indicator of prognosis in patients with esophageal carcinoma. Methods: Two hundred sixty-two patients with esophageal carcinoma who had been treated by esophageal resection and reconstruction of digestive tracts were evaluated, excluding patients with neoplasms in other organs. Preoperative serum CRP was measured, and the relation between the elevation of serum CRP and the clinicopathological factors and prognosis of the patients was investigated. Results: The mean size of the tumors and the proportions of lymph node metastasis and lymphatic invasion were significantly larger in patients with preoperative elevation of serum CRP than in patients without preoperative elevation of serum CRP (5.8 ± 2.5 cm versus 4.8 ± 2.5 cm, P <0.01, 59.5% versus 35.4%, P <0.001, and 35.7% versus 23.6%, P <0.05, respectively). 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in patients with preoperative elevation of serum CRP (60.6%, 18.4%, and 11.5%, respectively) were significantly lower than those in patients without preoperative elevation of serum CRP (88.7%, 70.9%, and 68.4%, respectively; P <0.0001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the preoperative elevation of serum CRP was an independent prognostic factor in esophageal carcinoma ( P <0.0001). Conclusions: The preoperative serum elevation of CRP can be a marker of the malignant potential of the tumor and an independent prognostic indicator in esophageal carcinoma.

Clinical results and prognostic factors of radiologically node-positive gastric carcinoma.

Lymph node metastasis determined by histologic examination is an important prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma. However, prognostic value of lymph node metastasis detected by computed tomography (CT) is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical results and prognostic factors of patients with radiologically node-positive gastric carcinoma. The study included 78 patients with primary gastric carcinoma and lymph node metastasis confirmed by CT. The level of lymph node metastasis was simply graded as follows: level I included perigastric nodes; level II included intermediate nodes along the left gastric, common hepatic, and celiac arteries; and level III included distant nodes along the hepatoduodenal ligament, pancreas, spleen, and abdominal aorta. Sixty patients (79%) had stage IV tumors showing one or more of the following: level III lymph node metastasis in 37, pancreatic invasion in 27, peritoneal dissemination in 23, and liver metastasis in 19. Overall 1- and 5-year survival rates were 29% and 6%, respectively, and the 1-year survival rate was significantly influenced by the level of lymph node metastasis on CT (55% for level I, 27% for level II, 7% for level III, P < 0.01). In patients with gastrectomy, prognostic factors were tumor size (<10 cm versus >10 cm, P < 0.01), gross type (localized versus infiltrative, P < 0.01), histologic type (well differentiated versus poorly differentiated, P < 0.01), and curability of the disease (curative versus noncurative, P < 0.01). Our study indicates that prognosis of patients with radiologically node-positive gastric carcinoma is poor because of high frequency of extensive tumor spreads. Patients having only positive level I nodes on CT are candidates for curative gastrectomy, which may offer long-term survival.

The Clinicopathological Features of Gastric Carcinomas with Microsatellite Instability May Be Mediated by Mutations of Different “Target Genes”: A Study of the TGFβ RII, IGFII R, and BAX Genes

Gastric carcinomas with DNA replication errors (RER phenotype) display a particular clinicopathologic profile and carry a putative favorable prognosis. The RER phenotype has been identified as microsatellite instability in noncoding regions, as well as in repeat sequences within exons of several "target genes": TGFbeta RII, IGFII R, and BAX. In an attempt to find out whether the RER status is a significant prognostic factor in gastric carcinoma in a multivariate analysis and whether the clinicopathological features of the RER+ tumors are associated with mutations in the "target genes," we evaluated a series of 152 cases of sporadic gastric carcinoma. Five or six microsatellite loci and/or BAT 26, a poly(A) tract, were analyzed in each case using polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis. Thirty-five cases (23.0%) were RER+. The RER phenotype was closely associated with a low pTNM stage and carried a significantly better prognosis. The repeat sequences of the target genes were screened for mutations in 28 RER+ and 13 RER-tumors. Mutations in TGFbeta RII occurred in 67.9% of the RER+ tumors and were significantly associated with the glandular histotype. IGFII R and BAX mutations occurred, respectively, in 25.0% and 32.1% of the cases; there was a trend toward an association between mutations in these genes and decreased nodal metastization and wall invasiveness, respectively. We conclude that the RER status is a significant prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma and that such prognostic influence may be mediated by mutations in TGFbeta RII, IGFII R, and BAX genes.

Tumor size as a simple prognostic indicator for gastric carcinoma.

Tumor size can be measured easily before or during operation with no special tools, but its prognostic use in patients with gastric carcinoma is still unclear. Clinicopathologic data of 479 patients who underwent curative operation for gastric carcinoma were studies. The relationship between tumor size and survival of patients was investigated. The patients were divided into three groups: 182 with tumors measuring < 4 cm (group I), 252 with tumors of 4-10 cm (group II), and 45 with tumors of > or = 10 cm (group III). The 10-year survival rates for group I, II, and III patients were 92%, 66% and 33%, respectively (p < 0.01), and the three groups were significantly different with regard to depth of invasion (p < 0.01), number and level of lymph node metastasis (p < 0.01), and stage of disease (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis indicated that tumor size independently influenced the survival of patients. Tumor size clinically serves as a simple predictor of tumor progression and survival of patients in gastric carcinoma.

SERUM SIALYL-TN ANTIGEN LEVEL AS A PROGNOSTIC INDICATOR IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC-CANCER

The sialyl-Tn antigen (STN) is a mucin glycoprotein that recently has received attention as a cancer-related antigen. This antigen is considered to be the antigen of core region of mucin oligosaccharides, which differs considerably from type 1 chain carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and type 2 chain antigen sialyl-SSEA-1 (SLX). In the present study, serum STN levels were measured in patients with gastric cancer in order to determine the clinical significance of STN. The mean STN level in cancer patients was 52.0 U/ml and the rate of positivity was 20.1% (37/184). The mean serum level and the rate of positivity for STN each rose in accordance with increases in histologic stage, degree of lymph node metastasis and depth of invasion. In relation to prognosis, for patients with advanced gastric cancer, the prognosis of patients who were STN-positive was significantly poorer than those who were STN-negative. These results suggest that measurement of serum STN is useful for prediction of the tumor stage and serum level of STN may be a good prognostic indicator for gastric carcinoma.

PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF SERUM PEPSINOGEN LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC-CARCINOMA

Serum pepsinogen levels were examined in 107 patients with gastric carcinoma, by immunoradiometric assay for evaluating its clinical usefulness in gastric cancer. The mean serum pepsinogen-I (PG-I) level and the pepsinogen-I/pepsinogen-II (PG-I/II) ratio decreased as the histologic stage increased. Also, serum pepsinogen-II (PG-II) correspondingly increased with the increase of histologic stage. Moreover, in patients with low PG-I/II (<2.0), prognosis was significantly poorer than in those with high PG-I/II (greater-than-or-equal-to 2.0). The rate of recurrence after a curative resection was significantly higher in patients with low PG-I/II. These results suggest that measurement of serum pepsinogens and calculation of PG-I/II are useful for prediction of the tumor stage, and PG-I/II may be a prognostic indicator for gastric carcinoma.

The expression of proliferative-associated nuclear antigen p105 in gastric carcinoma

The expression of proliferation-associated nuclear antigen p105 of gastric carcinomas was studied by multiparameter flow cytometric and immunohistochemical technique. Multiparameter flow cytometric analysis revealed that p105 expression was rarely observed in the resting cells of normal gastric epithelium. On the contrary, the immunofluorescence (IF) intensity of cancer cells in G1 phase was approximately two-fold to three-fold greater than that of G0 phase of cancer cells or normal gastric epithelium. The p105 antigen content of cancer cells increased with cell cycle progression, and increased more rapidly in cells in late S-phase than in cells in G0 and early S-phase. Microphotometric study demonstrated that cells in M-phase exhibited a dramatic increase in the amount of the antigen, and the IF intensity of the mitotic cells were approximately five-fold to ten-fold greater than that of cells in G1 and S-phase. These results indicate that the antigen demonstrated by the p105 monoclonal antibody is present in the G1, S, G2, M-phases, but not in the G0 phase. Immunohistochemical technique demonstrated that patients with lymph node metastases are more likely to have high p105-positive rates than did node-negative patients. The mean p105-positive rates of aneuploid tumors was significantly higher than those of diploid tumors. From these results the authors speculate that the measurement of p105-positive rates may be a powerful prognostic indicator of gastric carcinoma.