Original Article
Copyright ©2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 14, 2010; 16(22): 2764-2770
Published online Jun 14, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i22.2764
Relationship between clinicopathological features and mucin phenotypes of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma
Fumiaki Toki, Atsushi Takahashi, Ryusuke Aihara, Kyoichi Ogata, Hiroyuki Ando, Tetsuro Ohno, Erito Mochiki, Hiroyuki Kuwano
Fumiaki Toki, Atsushi Takahashi, Ryusuke Aihara, Kyoichi Ogata, Hiroyuki Ando, Tetsuro Ohno, Erito Mochiki, Hiroyuki Kuwano, Department of General Surgical Science (Surgery I), Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-15 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
Author contributions: Toki F and Kuwano H designed the research; Toki F and Takahashi A performed the majority of the experiments; Toki F, Ohno T, Aihara R, Ogata K and Ando H analyzed the data; Mochiki E and Kuwano H critically revised the paper; Toki F and Takahashi A wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Fumiaki Toki, MD, Department of General Surgical Science (Surgery I), Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-15 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan. ftoki@gcmc.pref.gunma.jp
Telephone: +81-272-208224   Fax: +81-272-208230
Received: December 29, 2009
Revised: January 15, 2010
Accepted: January 22, 2010
Published online: June 14, 2010
Abstract

AIM: To investigate a relationship between the clinicopathological features and mucin phenotypes in advanced gastric adenocarcinoma (AGA).

METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine the mucin phenotypes in 38 patients with differentiated adenocarcinomas (DACs), 9 with signet-ring cell carcinomas (SIGs), and 48 with other diffuse-type adenocarcinomas (non-SIGs) of AGA. The mucin phenotypes were classified into 4 types: gastric (G), gastrointestinal (GI), intestinal, and unclassified.

RESULTS: The G-related mucin phenotypes were highly expressed in all the histological subtypes of AGA. The expression of the GI phenotype in SIG patients was lower than that in DAC patients (P = 0.02), and this phenotype was observed in 56% of the non-SIG patients in the intramucosal layer. Among non-SIG cases, the expression of the GI phenotype was significantly higher in patients with extended adenocarcinomas and those with positive rates of lymph node metastasis. There was no difference between the expressions of the G and other GI phenotypes factors. Among DAC and non-SIG patients, there were no differences between the survival rates of the corresponding patient groups.

CONCLUSION: The GI phenotype might possess more invasive characteristics than the G phenotype in non-SIG. Neither of the phenotypes indicated a poor prognosis of DAC and non-SIG.

Keywords: Mucins, Phenotype, Diffuse type, Undifferentiated type, Gastric neoplasms, Adenocarcinoma, Prognosis