Interrelation between tumor‐associated cell surface glycoprotein and host immune response in gastric carcinoma patients

• Published in: Cancer 1998-04, Vol.82 (8), p.1468-1475
• Main Authors: Okuyama, Toshiro, Maehara, Yoshihiko, Kakeji, Yoshihiro, Tsujitani, Shunichi, Korenaga, Daisuke, Sugimachi, Keizo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers, Tumor; dendritic cells (DC); Dendritic Cells - immunology; Dendritic Cells - metabolism; Female; gastric carcinoma; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA); Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Lectins - metabolism; Lymphatic Metastasis - immunology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; S100 Proteins - metabolism; Stomach; Stomach Neoplasms - immunology; Stomach Neoplasms - mortality; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Survival Analysis; Tumors
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19980415)82:8<1468::AID-CNCR6>3.0.CO;2-5

BACKGROUND Expression of changes in cell surface glycoprotein may correlate with the malignant potential and development of gastric carcinoma. Immunologic defense mechanisms of the host against the tumor can be effective in preventing the development of gastric carcinoma. The authors studied the effects of immunologic defense of the host against the tumor, using infiltration of S‐100 protein positive dendritic cells (DC) as a marker. In cases with or without changes in the surface glycoprotein of tumor cells, determinations were made by binding of Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA). METHODS Paraffin blocks of 123 gastric carcinoma specimens were prepared for immunohistochemical staining with the antibody against HPA and S‐100 protein. Clinicopathologic factors and patient prognosis were examined for each indicator. RESULTS Patients with HPA positive tumors had a more aggressive character in several important prognostic aspects and poorer 5‐year survival rates compared with patients with HPA negative tumors. The degree of infiltration of DC had no particular correlation with pathologic factors, and there was no significant difference between the prognosis of patients with slight and marked DC infiltration. In the HPA negative patients there was no significant difference in the 5‐year survival rates between patients with slight and marked DC infiltration; however, in the HPA positive patients the 5‐year survival rates of patients with marked infiltration of DC were higher. Further investigation showed that patients with marked DC infiltration had better 5‐year survival rates than patients with slight DC infiltration, especially in patients with HPA positive and histologically advanced disease. CONCLUSIONS Patients with a higher immunologic defense against cancer cells, as indicated by marked infiltration of DC, had a better prognosis in cases of gastric carcinomas of highly malignant potential, as indicated by a positive HPA. Cancer 1998;82:1468‐75. © 1998 American Cancer Society. Patients with a marked infiltration of S‐100 protein positive dendritic cells had a better prognosis than the slight progress observed in patients with Helix pomatia agglutinin positive gastric carcinoma.