Clinical Implification of Molecular Biological Parameter for Prognostic Factor in Digestive Organ Cancer

Masakazu Ueda, Kiyoshi Kikuchi*, Nobutoshi Ando, Toshiharu Tsuzuki, Masaki Kitajima

Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Keio University
**Department of Surgery, Tokyo Denryoku Hospital

To clarify a prognostic significance of molecular biological parameters, the correlation between oncogene amplifications and clinical characteristics were investigated in this study. Oncogene amplification was estimated by the slot-blot hybridization method. In esophageal cancer, int-2 and c-erb B amplifications were detected in 28% and 12% of cases, respectively. In gastric cancer, int-2 and c-erb B-2 amplifications were detected in 16% and 22%, respectively. The 5-year survival rate of cancer patients with amplifications was significantly lower than that of those without amplification. The int-2 amplification in esophageal cancer was closely correlated with distant organ metastasis after radical surgery. The c-erb B amplification was correlated with lymph node metastasis at operation. The same results were obtained in gastric cancer patients with int-2 amplification. These data indicate that molecular biological parameters are useful markers in the treatment of cancer patients.

Key words
oncogene amplification, prognostic factor, cancer in digestive organ

Reprint requests
Masakazu Ueda Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Keio University
35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160 JAPAN

Accepted
June 14, 1993

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