Original Articles
Copyright ©The Author(s) 1999. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 15, 1999; 5(2): 152-155
Published online Apr 15, 1999. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v5.i2.152
Study of differential polymerase chain reaction of C-erbB-2 oncogene amplification in gastric cancer
Feng Ji, Qing-Bi Peng Jing-Biao Zhan, You-Ming Li
Feng Ji, You-Ming Li, Qing-Bi Peng, Jing-Biao Zhan, Department of Gastroenterology, 1st Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China
Feng Ji, male, born on 1962-11-26 in Lingbo City, Zhejiang, gradua ted from Zhejiang Medical University as a M.D. in 1989, associate professor of internal medicine and Director of master student, having 25 papers published.
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Feng Ji, Department of Gastroenterology, 1st Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, No. 261, Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China
Telephone: +86-571-7072524 Ext. 4402 Fax: +86-571-7072577
Received: November 21, 1998
Revised: January 12, 1999
Accepted: January 24, 1999
Published online: April 15, 1999
Abstract

AIM To study the significance of C-erbB-2 oncogene amplification in gastric cancer.

METHODS C-erbB-2 oncogene amplification was examined by using differential polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) in surgical and endoscopic specimens of 83 cases of gastric cancer and 101 metastatic lymph nodes.

RESULTS C-erbB-2 amplification was found in 28.9% (24/83) surgical specimens and 20.5% (17/83) endoscopic ones of gastric cancer patients. The amplification was significant in both types of specimens of advanced cancer cases (P < 0.05) and surgical specimens with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.01). The incidence of C-erbB-2 amplification in lymph nodes with metastasis was higher than in primary sites (surgical specimens, P < 0.05). The patients with amplification tumors had poorer 5-year survival rates than those with unamplification ones in the early cancers and well to moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas (P < 0.05). The same surgical samples were tested again by Southern blot hybridization to ascertain C-erbB-2 amplification, and the positive rate of C-erbB-2 amplification (15.7%) was lower than that of dPCR (28.9%, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION Examining C-erbB-2 amplification by dPCR is a quick, simple, reliable and independent method, and is helpful in predicting prognosis and metastatic potential of gastric cancer.

Keywords: stomach neoplasms; C-erbB-2 gene; polymerase chain reaction; oncogene amplification