Fascin expression is related to poor survival in gastric cancer

• DOI: 10.1111/pin.12012
• Publication Date: 2012-12-18T16:42:28Z
• Authors: Su Jin Kim; Dae Cheol Kim; Min Chan Kim; Ghap Joong Jung; Ki Han Kim; Jin Seok Jang; Hyuk Chan Kwon; Yu Mi Kim; Jin Sook Jeong
• Keywords: Adult; Aged, 80 and over; Male; Microfilament Proteins; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Adenocarcinoma; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Immunohistochemistry; 3. Good health; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Stomach Neoplasms; Tissue Array Analysis; Biomarkers, Tumor; Humans; Female; Carrier Proteins; Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Proportional Hazards Models

Fascin is an actin‐binding protein that provides mechanical support and cell motility, and involves cancer cell metastasis. We investigated fascin protein expression in gastric cancer and assessed their relationship with clinicopathologic parameters and survival rates. In addition, we researched galectin‐3 protein expression to study fascin action mechanisms. We performed immunohistochemisty with fascin and galectin‐3 antibodies in 471 gastric carcinomas, using tissue microarrays. Fascin was positive in 14.9% (70/471) of the samples, and fascin expression was related to worse survival rates (P < 0.001), high clinical stage (P < 0.001), high T stage (P < 0.001), nodal metastasis (P < 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (P= 0.001) and the intestinal type of Lauren classification (P= 0.015). Galectin‐3 protein expression was positive in 83.9% (395/471) of the samples and was reversely correlated with fascin protein expression (P= 0.020). Galectin‐3 expression was related to low clinical stage (P < 0.001), but not to survival rates in multivariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, fascin expression was related to worse survival rates (HR = 1.56, P= 0.036), and can be an independent poor prognostic factor in gastric cancer.