Thymidine phosphorylase expression in gastric cancer in association with proliferative activity and angiogenesis.

Background: Thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase) has been reported to stimulate angiogenesis in vivo. We investigated dThdPase expression in gastric cancer in association with angiogenesis and proliferative activity.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and forty-eight gastric cancer patients who had received radical gastrectomy were investigated.

Results: Positive dThdPase staining was observed in 98 cases. The microvessel counts for positive and negative cases were 44.1 and 29.6, respectively, representing a significant correlation. The mean PCNA index of positive cases was significantly higher than that of negative cases. The patients with positive dThdPase staining in high intensity displayed decreased post-operative survival compared to those without.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that proliferative activity of gastric cancer is related to dThdPase expression and angiogenesis and that dThdPase expression is associated with angiogenesis. dThdPase expression could also be a prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients.