Prognostic significance of HER2/neu expression in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is still the most prevalent neoplasia in many countries. Therefore, besides the clinicopathological factors known to be prognostic markers, new independent parameters are being investigated. There is mounting evidence of the role of HER2/neu expression in patients with this type of cancer, and it has been solidly correlated to poor outcomes and a more aggressive disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty gastric cancer tissue specimens were examined for the presence of HER2/neu by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between HER2/neu expression and patient clinicopathological parameters was evaluated and the prognostic significance of HER2/neu expression was assessed. RESULTS: HER2/neu membrane staining was detectable in 7 (14.0%) cases. The patients with HER2/neu overexpression had worse prognosis after surgical therapy compared with those without expression of HER2/neu (p = 0.001, Log-rank test). No relationship was found between HER2/neu expression and other clinicopathological parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Using immunohistochemistry, our data showed that the association between HER2/neu overexpression and patient survival provides a good indirect validation for quality of this investigation and it may act as a prognostic parameter in gastric cancer.