Nuclear factor kappa B: A marker of chemotherapy for human stage IV gastric carcinoma

AIM: To detect the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) condition in human stage fV gastric carcinoma patients and to explore the correlation between NF-kappa B activation and survival of these patients after chemotherapy. METHODS: Expression of NF-kappa B-p65 was determined by immunohistochemical analysis. Activity of NF-kappa B DNA-binding in carcinoma tissue was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to show the relation between NF-kappa B and progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) of the patients. RESULTS: The positive expression rate of NF-kappa B-p65 in 60 gastric cancer tissue samples was 76.7% (46/60). The expression of NF-kappa B-p65 was reduced in adjacent carcinoma and normal tissue samples. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) analysis showed a strong activation of NF-kappa B in cancer tissue samples. A survival difference was found in NF-kappa B-p65 positive and negative patients. NF-kappa B-p65 expression was negative in cancer tissue samples (n = 14). PFS was 191.40 +/- 59.88 d and 152.93 +/- 16.99 d, respectively, in patients with positive NF-kappa B-p65 expression (n = 46) (P = 0.4028). The survival time of patients with negative and positive NF-kappa B-p65 expression was 425-16 +/- 61-61 d and 418.85 +/- 42.98 d, respectively (P = 0.7303). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant difference in PFS or OS. The 46 patient tissue which positive NF-kappa B-p65 expression was found in the tissue samples from the 46 patients whose PFS and OS were 564.89 +/- 75.94 d and s 352.37 +/- 41.32 d, respectively (P = 0.0165). CONCLUSION: NF-kappa B is activated in gastric carcinoma tissue, which is related to the OS after chemotherapy. (C) 2008 The WJG Press. All rights reserved.