Immunohistochemical Analysis of Plasminogen Activators in Gastric Carcinoma

Kiyoshi Maeda, Yong-Suk Chung, Tetsuji Sawada, Yoshinari Ogawa, Yasuyuki Kato, Toshiaki Kubo, Naoyoshi Onoda, Atsunori Nitta, Yuichi Arimoto, Michio Sowa

First Department of Surgery, Osaka City University Medical School

The expression of tissue-type and urokinase-type plasminogen activators was examined in 102 cases of gastric carcinoma, using an immunohistochemical method with specific monoclonal antibodies. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) was detected in 58 cases (56.9%), whereas the expression of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) was seen in cancer cells of only 22 cases (21.6%). The positive rate for u-PA was significantly higher in patients with liver metastasis than in those without liver metastasis. On the other hand, t-PA positivity decreased as tumor invasion became deeper and the positive rate for t-PA also became lower as the histologic stage increased. In relation to prognosis, patients with u-PA positive or t-PA positive or t-PA negative tumors tended to have a worse prognosis than those with u-PA negative or t-PA positive tumors. Our findings suggest that the expression of plasminogen activators is associated with tumor progression and that u-PA may be a predictive indicators of malignant potential in gastric carcinoma.

Key words
urokinase-type plasminogen activator, tissue-type plasminogen activator, gastric carcinoma, immunohistochemical study

Reprint requests
Kiyoshi Maeda First Department of Surgeyr, Osaka City University Medical School
1-5-7 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545 JAPAN

Accepted
January 12, 1994

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