Evaluation of Histochemical Expression of Epidermal Growth Factor in Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients as a Predictive Prognostic Factor

• Published in: The Showa University Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 95 - 104
• Main Authors: OHKUBO, Masahiko, NAKANO, Hiroshi, SUZUKI, Takao, NAMATAME, Kimio, NAKAYOSHI, Akio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Showa University Society 1995
• Subjects: advanced gastric cancer; epidermal growth factor; predictive prognostic factor
• ISSN: 0915-6380; 2185-0968
• DOI: 10.15369/sujms1989.7.95

A novel predictive prognostic factor is still required to determine the regimen of postoperative chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer patients. Recently, epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been reported to be a potential prognostic factor. In the present study, histochemical expression of EGF was investigated in primary gastric cancer lesions and metastatic lesions of lymph node in 90 advanced gastric cancer patients. The expression of EGF was investigated by histochemical enzyme assay using a human EGF monoclonal antibody. The five-year survival rate in the EGF-positive group was 36.3%, relative to 77.4% in the EGF-negative group (p<0.05) . However, in limiting it to the patients with curative surgery as well as more than or equal to conclusive stage II, a significant difference was not shown in the survival analysis. Limiting to 31 patients with curative surgery as well as lymph node metastasis, the 5-year survival rate of the EGF-positive group with metastatic lesions of the lymph node was 40.0%, relative to 79.5% of the EGF-negative group (p<0.05) . A high grade of blood vessel invasion (v3) was significantly detected in the EGF-positive group compared to the EGF-negative group (50.0% and 22.6%, respectively; p<0.05) . The patients with recurrence of liver metastasis in the EGF-positive group investigated in the primary cancer lesions were significantly greater than in the EGF-negative group (p<0.05) . These findings suggested that the assessment of EGF in lymph node metastatic lesions is a potential predictive prognostic factor in advanced gastric cancer patients with curative surgery, and that the EGF expression in the primary cancer lesions may be predictive for the recurrence of liver metastasis.