Abstract
AIM: To study the relationship between the expression of the c-erbB-2 proto-oncogene product with gastric mucosal carcinogenesis and the behavior of gastric carcinoma. METHODS: Specimens from nine normal gastric mucosa, 23 gastric mucosal dysplasia (10 slight, six moderate, seven severe), 18 early gastric carcinoma, and 30 advanced gastric carcinoma were marked with P185 monoclonal antibody using the immunohistochemical peroxidase-avidin-biotin complex method. The relation between P185 expression with histological type, size, and lymph node metastasis of gastric carcinoma were analyzed. RESULTS: Normal gastric mucosa was negative for P185; Only a few cells in the neck region of the mucosal glands were very weakly positive. Relatively high positive rates were found in the slight, moderate, and severe dysplasia specimens (50%, 83.3%, and 85.7%, respectively). A 22.2% and 56.7% P185-positive rate was found in early gastric carcinoma and in advanced gastric carcinoma, respectively. Statistically, the P185-positive rates in severe dysplasia and advanced gastric carcinoma were significantly higher than that in early gastric carcinoma (P < 0.05). The P185-positive rate in the group with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that of the group without lymph node metastasis (59.3% vs 23.8%, P < 0.05), but P185 expression was not related to histological type and size of gastric carcinoma. CONCLUSION: The c-erbB-2 proto-oncogene might participate in gastric mucosal proliferation, repair, and carcinogenesis, and gastric carcinoma with P185 expression might have a stronger potential of infiltration and metastasis.