[Association of TGFalpha and cyclin E expression in gastric carcinoma and precancerous lesions].

Background & Objective: Previous studies have indicated that increased expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E are correlated with the oncogenesis and progress of cancer; however, their expression patterns in gastric precancerous lesions have been not clear yet. In addition, the association between expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E has not been reported. This study was designed to investigate the expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E in chronic superficial gastritis (CSG), gastric precancerous lesions, and gastric carcinoma (GCA), and analyze the association of TGFalpha and cyclin E expression, and the relationship between their expression and different development stages of oncogenesis of GCA.

Methods: The expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E in CSG, intestinal metaphases (IM), atypical hyperplasia (AH), and GCA were examined using immunohistochemical staining. The association of TGFalpha and cyclin E expression was also statistically analyzed.

Results: The expression rates of TGFalpha and cyclin E were 15.1%, 53.6%, 51.7%, 61.7%, and 7.5%, 28.6%, 37.9%, 42.6% in tissue samples of CSG, IM, AH and GCA, respectively. The positive expression rates of TGFalpha and cyclin E were higher in IM, AH, GCA than in CSG; the difference was significant (each P< 0.05). In addition, the positive expression rates of TGFalpha and cyclin E were higher in low differential adenocarcinoma (TGFalpha 81.0%, cyclin E 57.1%) than in mediate to high differential one (TGFalpha 41.7%, cyclin E 16.7%) (P< 0.05,for both TGFalpha and cyclin E). It is also revealed that the expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E were closely associated (P< 0.001 for the tissue of gastric chronic inflammation, and P=0.005 for gastric carcinoma, respectively).

Conclusion: In the tissues of CSG, IM, AH, and GCA, the expression rates of TGFalpha and cyclin E are increased gradually with the severity of the pathological lesions and the malignancy of GCA. In addition, the expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E were obviously associated.