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Expression of Cdx2 and the phenotype of advanced gastric cancers: relationship with prognosis

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Abstract

Purpose

The clinicopathologic significance of the phenotype and Cdx2 expression has hitherto remained unclear in gastric cancers. In the present study, we therefore examined the correlation between prognosis, phenotype, and Cdx2 expression in advanced cases.

Methods

We evaluated 177 advanced gastric carcinomas histologically and phenotypically. The expression of Cdx2 was also assessed by immunohistochemistry.

Results

The lesions were phenotypically divided into 32 gastric (G type), 36 gastric and intestinal mixed (GI type), 53 intestinal (I type), and 56 null (N type) types, independent of the histological classification. Cdx2 nuclear staining demonstrated a close relation to intestinal phenotypic expression, not with the histological classification. Kaplan-Meier analysis of Cdx2 expression and the phenotype showed that the Cdx2 positive groups had a significantly better outcome than the negative ones (P =0.0013), and the patients with GI type cancers had significant better survival than those with N type (P =0.0052).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that Cdx2 is a useful prognostic marker. In addition, advanced gastric cancers with both intestinal and gastric phenotypic expression have a relatively good prognosis. Combined evaluation of gastric and intestinal epithelial cell markers, including Cdx2, is clinically useful to predict outcome in patients with advanced neoplasm of the stomach.

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Acknowledgment

The authors thank Dr. Malcolm A. Moore for revision of the scientific English language and Ms. Hisayo Ban for expert technical assistance. This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for the Millennium Genome Project, a Grant-in-Aid for the Second-term Comprehensive 10-year Strategy for Cancer Control, and a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, Japan, and a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Oncological Pathology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, 464-8681, Nagoya, Japan

    Tsutomu Mizoshita, Tetsuya Tsukamoto, Hayao Nakanishi, Ken-ichi Inada, Naotaka Ogasawara & Masae Tatematsu

  2. Department of Internal Medicine and Bioregulation, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya, Japan

    Naotaka Ogasawara, Takashi Joh & Makoto Itoh

  3. Division of Gastroenterological Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan

    Yoshitaka Yamamura

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  1. Tsutomu Mizoshita
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  2. Tetsuya Tsukamoto
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  3. Hayao Nakanishi
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  4. Ken-ichi Inada
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  8. Yoshitaka Yamamura
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  9. Masae Tatematsu
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Correspondence to Masae Tatematsu.

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Mizoshita, T., Tsukamoto, T., Nakanishi, H. et al. Expression of Cdx2 and the phenotype of advanced gastric cancers: relationship with prognosis. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 129, 727–734 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-003-0499-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-003-0499-6

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