HER-2 incidence in gastric cancer, relation with prognosis and clinicopathological parameters

Abstract

Objective: Human epidermal growth factor-2 (HER-2) overexpression has prognostic value in breast cancer. However the value of HER 2 positivity on Gastric cancer remained the issue of interest. In this study, we investigated the frequency of overexpression of HER-2 and its relationship with clinicopathological findings and impact on survival in gastric cancer.

Material and Methods: Gastric cancer patients, operated in Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, Pendik Training and Research Hospital, General Surgery Department, between January 2012 - December 2013 were enrolled in this study. Medical records were retrospectively evaluated. Tissue samples were stained with immunehystochemistry (IHC) method and positive ones subsequently proceeded with floreasans in situ hybridization (FISH). HER-2 expression rates and its relation with other histopathological features and survival has been analysed

Results: Of 135 patients enrolled, 88 (65%)were male and 47 (35%) were female, median age was 61 (29-84) years, respectively. only 11 patients (8%) were positive for HER-2. When compared the HER-2 positive patients with negative patients no difference were detected among age, gender, tumor size, tumor location, tumor T stage, lymph node metastasis, histological type, differentiation, lymphovascular invasion, perinodal and perineural invasion. No significant difference were detected on 1 and 2-year overall and disease-free survival between receptor pozitive and negative groups.

Conclusion: HER-2 pozitivity rate in this study was around 8% were consistent with literature findings but this positivity has not been found to be related with clinical and pathological parameters and overall and disease-free survival.

Ethics committee approval was received for this study from the ethics committee of Marmara University Faculty of Medicine.

We did not receive informed consent because the study was performed retrospectively.

Externally peer-reviewed.

Concept - T.K.U.; Design - T.K.U., C.Y.; Supervision - C.Y., W.A.; Funding - C.Y.; Materials - G.A.; Data Collection and/or Processing - T.K.U., G.A.; Analysis and/or Interpretation - Ç.A.Ç., T.K.U., W.A.; Literature Review – T.K.U., G.A.; Writer - T.K.U., W.A.; Critical Review - C.Y., W.A., Ç.A.Ç.; Other –T.K.U., W.A., Ç.A.Ç.

No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

This project has been supported by Marmara University Scientific Research Projects Commission with SAG-C-TUP-120613-0247 project number.