Published online Dec 24, 2021. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v12.i12.1202
Peer-review started: April 15, 2021
First decision: June 17, 2021
Revised: June 29, 2021
Accepted: November 18, 2021
Article in press: November 18, 2021
Published online: December 24, 2021
Gastric cancer (GC) is still one of the most common malignant neoplasms worldwide in terms of incidence and cancer motility. The development of GC is a multistage process. Tensin 4 (TNS4) belongs to the tensin family. This protein can participate in the transmission of intracellular signals. TNS4 plays an important role in biological processes connected with carcinogenesis, such as proliferation, migration, cell adhesion and invasiveness. It is very important to search for new biomarkers that could help to diagnose GC at the early stages of its development.
We wanted to evaluate the role of the TNS4 protein in the development of GC. This protein may be a promising biomarker in the diagnosis of GC at the early stages of its development.
The study objective was to show the expression of TNS4 in GC tissues and assess the relationship between protein expression and clinical and pathological parameters and the overall survival rate of patients.
In our study, we used immunohistochemistry to evaluate the expression of the TNS4 protein. The research was conducted on a group of 89 patients.
We observed that higher TNS4 expression was more often observed in GCs with a larger diameter (P = 0.040). Our results also showed that an increase in TNS4 expression was more frequently observed in tumors without mucinous components than in tumors from mucosal cancers (P = 0.023). Furthermore, higher TNS4 expression was demonstrated in moderately differentiated tumors (P = 0.002). Increased TNS4 expression was also noted in the intestinal type of GC according to Lauren’s classification (P = 0.020). No significant correlation was found between the expression of TNS4 and the overall survival rate of patients.
The expression of TNS4 was significantly higher in tumors with a diameter of ≥ 5 cm, of a moderately differentiated type of GC without a mucinous component, and of the intestinal type according to Lauren’s classification. Increased levels of TNS4 expression are linked to the histological type of GC with a better prognosis.
It is possible to develop this study with cell line methods. It will be possible to investigate the potential role of TNS4 in GC cell proliferation.