HER-2/neu Expression in Resectable Gastric Cancer and its Relationship with Histopathologic Subtype, Grade, and Stage

Objective HER-2/neu is overexpressed in diverse human cancers. Studies suggest a role of this protein in tumor progression by specifically promoting the invasive capacity of tumor cells. Our aim was to evaluate HER- 2/neu overexpression in resectable gastric cancer in 100 North-Eastern Iranian patients and to assess the relationship between its expression and clinicopathologic tumor parameters. Materials and Methods Indirect immunostaining was employed to evaluate the expression of this receptor in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples. Results HER-2/neu overexpression was present in 26 (26%) of 100 gastric carcinomas. This was significantly more common in the intestinal type of gastric cancer (33%) compared to diffuse (5%) or the mixed type (0%). HER-2/neu overexpression was also more common in well-differentiated gastric cancers versus other grades (41% vs 7%). However, it was not associated with gender, age at diagnosis or stage. Conclusion HER-2/neu overexpression is common in gastric carcinoma and more prevalent in intestinal and welldifferentiated subtypes. There is no correlation between HER-2/neu expression and tumor stage. The relatively high percentage of HER-2/neu positive tumors may provide a useful target for immunotherapy of these cancers.