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Overexpression of Metallothionein Can Predict Tumour Progression in Gastric Cancer: Presented at ASCP By Lexa W. Lee NEW ORLEANS, LA -- October 23, 2007 -- Metallothionein (MT) could be a useful adjunctive marker of prognosis in patients with stomach cancer, as suggested by a study presented here at the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) Annual Meeting. Gastric carcinoma is one of the most common cancers worldwide, resulting in 650,000 deaths and 870,000 new cases each year. It is the leading cause of cancer mortality in several Asian countries. MT is a metal-binding protein that has a major role in metal metabolism and detoxification. Also associated with various tumours in humans, it has correlations with disease progression, aggressive tumour behaviour (as in breast, lung, and squamous cell carcinomas), and poor outcome, said researcher Michael Havens, MD, Resident Pathologist, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States. There have been conflicting reports as to whether increased MT expression is related to gastric carcinoma; some studies have found no association, while others have found markedly elevated MT levels, especially in cancers with the most malignant phenotype. Using anti-MT monoclonal antibody and immunohistochemical techniques in their investigation, Dr. Havens and colleagues looked at MT expression patterns in gastric carcinoma and compared them with other disease variables such as CD68-positive (a macrophage marker) cells and CD45-positive (increased in oxidative stress) lymphocyte counts, p53 (a tumour suppression marker), and PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen). "We looked at 133 cases of gastric carcinoma retrospectively," said Dr. Havens. Loss of expression was seen in 29.3% of samples. MT was overexpressed in 42.8% of samples. This group had a tendency to develop regional lymph node metastasis, and were associated with higher CD68-positive macrophage counts, a higher degree of CD45-positive lymphocytic infiltration, and significantly higher PCNA levels. MT expression was not significantly associated with age, sex, histologic tumour type, or p53 protein expression. The results of the study suggest that MT overexpression may be involved in proliferative activity and lymph node metastasis of gastric carcinoma; therefore it could have value as a predictive marker of tumour progression in this type of cancer. Dr. Havens said, "MT overexpression seems to be associated with more aggressive phenotypes; these subpopulations of gastric carcinoma may even need to be treated differently. We need to further molecularly characterise them." [Presentation title: Overexpression of Metallothionein in Gastric Carcinomas Is a Predictor of Aggressive Biologic Behavior. Poster 36] E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version