Abstract
AIM: To investigate the relation of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) protein expression with carcinogenesis and metastasis of gastric carcinoma. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect Fas and FasL protein expression in 64 gastric carcinoma tissue samples and 20 normal gastric tissue samples. Relation between FasL and Fas expression, age and gender of gastric cancer patients, and pathological subtype and lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer was analyzed. RESULTS: The Fas expression level was significantly higher in normal gastric tissue samples than in gastric carcinoma tissue samples (85.0% vs 25.0%, P < 0.001), while the FasL expression level was significantly lower in normal gastric tissue samples than in gastric carcinoma tissue samples (30.0% vs 81.3%, P < 0.001). The Fas expression level was significantly higher in invasive lymph nodes than in non-invasive lymph nodes (82.9% vs 56.5%, P < 0.003) and in well-differentiated gastric carcinoma tissue samples than in poorly-differentiated gastric carcinoma tissue samples (50.0% vs 18.0%, P = 0.015). The FasL expression level was significantly lower in well-differentiated gastric carcinoma tissue samples than in poorly- differentiated gastric carcinoma tissue samples (42.9% vs 84.0%, P = 0.021). The Fas and FasL expression levels (25.0% and 81.3%) were significantly different in gastric carcinoma tissue samples (P < 0.001), but had a non-linear correlation (P = 0.575). CONCLUSION: Abnormal Fas and FasL expressions in gastric carcinoma and lymph node tissues are involved in carcinogenesis and metastasis of gastric cancer.