AIM: To examine the role of E-cadherin and beta-catenin in carcinogenesis and to assess their prognostic implication in Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinomas (EBV-GCs).

METHODS: We compared the frequency of E-cadherin and beta-catenin expression in 59 EBV-GCs and 120 non-EBV-GCs, and examined the association between patients' prognosis and the expressions of these proteins.

RESULTS: Neither the cellular-membranous nor the cytoplasmic E-cadherin expression showed any difference between EBV-GCs and non-EBV-GCs. On the other hand, loss of membranous expression of beta-catenin occurred more frequently in non-EBV-GCs than EBV-GCs [odds ratio = 0.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.19-0.90]. Furthermore, the nuclear and/or cytoplosmic expression of beta-catenin was seen more frequently in EBV-GCs than non-EBV-GCs (odds ratio = 2.23; 95% CI, 0.97-5.09), and was observed in a larger proportion of carcinoma cells of EBV-GCs than non-EBV-GCs (P = 0.024). Survival analysis for non-EBV-GC revealed that lymph node metastasis was significantly associated with poor prognosis (P < 0.001). Among EBV-GCs, the depth of invasion (P = 0.005), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.004) and an intestinal type by Lauren classification (hazard ratio = 9.47; 95% CI, 2.67-33.6) were significantly associated with poor prognosis. On the other hand, nuclear and/or cytoplasmic expression of beta-catenin was associated with a better prognosis in patients with EBV-GC (hazard ratio = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.11-0.93).

CONCLUSION: We observed more frequent preservation of beta-catenin in cell membrane and accumulation in nuclei and/or cytoplasm in EBV-GCs than in non-EBV-GCs. Factors involved in the prognosis of EBV-GCs and non-EBV-GCs are different in the two conditions.

• Epstein-Barr virus
• Gastric carcinoma
• E-cadherin
• Beta-catenin
• Prognosis

• Aged
• Cadherins/biosynthesis
• Carcinoma/complications
• Carcinoma/virology
• Case-Control Studies
• Cell Membrane/metabolism
• Cell Nucleus/metabolism
• Cytoplasm/metabolism
• Epstein-Barr Virus Infections/complications
• Epstein-Barr Virus Infections/diagnosis
• Epstein-Barr Virus Infections/virology
• Female
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Herpesvirus 4, Human/metabolism
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Prognosis
• Stomach Neoplasms/complications
• Stomach Neoplasms/diagnosis
• Stomach Neoplasms/virology
• beta Catenin/biosynthesis

AIM: To determine the prognostic significance of isolated tumor cells (ITCs) and lymph node micrometastases in gastric cancer.

METHODS: Hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides of lymph node dissections of 632 consecutive gastric cancers were reviewed. Cytokeratin immunostaining was performed in 280 node-negative cases and 5 cases indefinite for lymph node metastases. Lymph node metastases were divided into ITCs, micrometastases, or macrometastases, according to the sizes of tumor deposits in largest dimension. ITCs were further classified into four groups according to metastasis pattern.

RESULTS: Lymph node metastases were identified by immunostaining in 58 of 280 node-negative cases (20.7%) and were not significantly associated with patient survival (P = 0.3460). After cytokeratin immunostaining, 196 cases were classified as pN1, which consisted of 20 cases with micrometastases detected by immunostaining (pN1mi(i+)), 34 cases with only micrometastases (pN1mi), and 142 cases with pN1 with one or more macrometastases (pN1). Cases with pN1mi and pN1mi(i+) had a significantly better prognosis than the cases with pN1 (P = 0.0037). ITCs were found in 38 of these 58 cases, and could be divided into four groups: 12 cases with only a single cell pattern, 7 cases with multiple individual cells, 5 cases with single small cluster, and 14 cases with multiple small clusters. Among these four groups, cases with ITCs of multiple individual cell pattern showed the worst survival (median survival: 28 mo, P<0.0001).

CONCLUSION: Both size and pattern of lymph node metastases can give prognostic information on the survival of gastric cancer patients.

• Immunohistochemistry
• Cytokeratin
• Patient survival
• Lymph node metastasis

• Humans
• Keratins/metabolism
• Korea/epidemiology
• Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology
• Lymphatic Metastasis/physiopathology
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasm Staging
• Prognosis
• Stomach Neoplasms/mortality
• Stomach Neoplasms/pathology
• Stomach Neoplasms/secondary
• Survival Rate

AIM: To investigate clinical significance of Pin1 and β-catenin expression in colorectal cancers and to demonstrate the relationship of their expression.

METHODS: The role of Pin1 and β-catenin protein in colorectal tumorigenesis and their clinicopathologic significance were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and the correlation between Pin1 and β-catenin protein expressions was also studied in 124 patients with colorectal cancer who were surgically treated.

RESULTS: Normal colonic epithelium either failed to express or showed focal and weak expression of Pin1 and β-catenin. Overexpression of Pin1 and β-catenin protein was found in 23 (18.54%) and 50 (40.3%) of 124 colorectal cancers, respectively. Overexpression of both proteins was not related to the lymph node metastasis, tumor stage and survival period after excision. Survival analysis results indicated that tumor stage was a valuable predictor of survival. Interestingly, a significant correlation was found between Pin1 and β-catenin protein expression.

CONCLUSION: Overexpression of Pin1 and β-catenin may be closely related with the development and/or progression of colorectal carcinoma and further supports that Pin1 overexpression might contribute to the upregulation of β-catenin.

• Pin1
• Immunohistochemistry
• β-catenin
• Survival

• Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism
• Colorectal Neoplasms/mortality
• Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology
• Cytoskeletal Proteins/metabolism
• Disease Progression
• Humans
• NIMA-Interacting Peptidylprolyl Isomerase
• Peptidylprolyl Isomerase/metabolism
• Survival Rate
• Trans-Activators/metabolism
• Up-Regulation
• beta Catenin