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Expression and Prognostic Significance of Pepsinogen C in Gastric Carcinoma

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Abstract

Background: In this study we evaluated the expression and clinical significance of pepsinogen C, an aspartic proteinase involved in the digestion of proteins in the stomach, in patients with gastric cancer.

Methods: Pepsinogen C expression was examined by immunohistochemical methods in a series of 95 gastric carcinomas. The prognostic value of pepsinogen C was retrospectively evaluated by multivariate analysis taking into account conventional prognostic parameters. Follow-up period of patients was 21.4 months.

Results: A total of 25 (26.3%) gastric carcinomas stained positively for pepsinogen C. The percentage of pepsinogen C-positive tumors was higher in well-differentiated (50%) than in moderately differentiated (19.5%) and poorly differentiated (21.9%) tumors (P < .05). Similarly, significant differences in pepsinogen C immunostaining were found between node-negative and node-positive tumors (47.1% vs. 14.7%; P < .001). In addition, statistical analysis revealed that pepsinogen C expression was associated with clinical outcome in gastric cancer patients. Low pepsinogen C levels predicted short overall survival periods in the overall group of patients with gastric cancer (P < .001), and in 71 patients with resectable carcinomas (P < .005). Multivariate analysis according to Cox’s model indicated that pepsinogen C immunostaining was an independent predictor of outcome for both overall and resectable gastric cancer patients (P < .05, for both).

Conclusions: The expression of pepsinogen C in gastric cancer may represent a useful biological marker able to identify subgroups of patients with different clinical outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Servicio de Cirugía General y Anatomía Patológica, Hospital de Jove, Gijón, Spain

    R. Fernández PhD, F. Vizoso PhD, J. C. Rodríguez MD, L. O. González MD, I. Quintela MD, A. Andicoechea PhD, N. Truan PhD & M. C. Díez MD

  2. Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital de Cabueñes, Gijón, Spain

    A. M. Merino PhD

  3. Servicio de Cirugía General, Hospital de Jove, Avda. Eduardo Castro, s/n, 33290, Gijón, Spain

    F. Vizoso PhD

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  1. R. Fernández PhD
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  2. F. Vizoso PhD
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  3. J. C. Rodríguez MD
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Fernández, R., Vizoso, F., Rodríguez, J.C. et al. Expression and Prognostic Significance of Pepsinogen C in Gastric Carcinoma. Ann Surg Oncol 7, 508–514 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10434-000-0508-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10434-000-0508-9

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