TY - JOUR

T1 - Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor is expressed in invasive cells in gastric carcinomas from high- and low-risk countries

AU - Alpizar Alpizar, Warner Enrique

AU - Nielsen, Boye Schnack

AU - Sierra, Rafaela

AU - Illemann, Martin

AU - Ramírez, Jose A.

AU - Arias, Adriana

AU - Durán, Sundry

AU - Skarstein, Arne

AU - Ovrebo, Kjell

AU - Lund, Leif R.

AU - Laerum, Ole D

N1 - Keywords: Antibodies, Bacterial; Costa Rica; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Gastric Mucosa; Helicobacter Infections; Helicobacter pylori; Immunohistochemistry; Macrophages; Microscopy, Confocal; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neutrophils; Norway; Prognosis; Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; Stomach Neoplasms

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - Gastric cancer is the second cancer causing death worldwide. Both incidence and mortality rates vary according to geographical regions. The receptor for urokinase plasminogen activator (uPAR) is involved in extracellular matrix degradation by mediating cell surface associated plasminogen activation, and its presence on gastric cancer cells is linked to micro-metastasis and poor prognosis. Immunohistochemical analyses of a set of 44 gastric cancer lesions from Costa Rica showed expression of uPAR in cancer cells in both intestinal subtype (14 of 27) and diffuse subtype (10 of 17). We compared the expression pattern of uPAR in gastric cancers from a high-risk country (Costa Rica) with a low-risk country (Norway). We found uPAR on gastric cancer cells in 24 of 44 cases (54%) from Costa Rica and in 13 of 23 cases (56%) from Norway. uPAR was seen in macrophages and neutrophils in all cases. We also examined the nonneoplastic mucosa and found that uPAR was more frequently seen in epithelial cells located at the luminal edge of the crypts in cases with Helicobacter pylori infection than in similar epithelial cells in noninfected mucosa (p = 0.033; chi(2) = 4.54). In conclusion, the expression of uPAR in cancer cells in more than half of the gastric cancer cases suggests that their uPAR-positivity do not contribute to explain the different mortality rates between the 2 countries, however, the actual prevalence of uPAR-positive cancer cells in the gastric cancers may still provide prognostic information.

AB - Gastric cancer is the second cancer causing death worldwide. Both incidence and mortality rates vary according to geographical regions. The receptor for urokinase plasminogen activator (uPAR) is involved in extracellular matrix degradation by mediating cell surface associated plasminogen activation, and its presence on gastric cancer cells is linked to micro-metastasis and poor prognosis. Immunohistochemical analyses of a set of 44 gastric cancer lesions from Costa Rica showed expression of uPAR in cancer cells in both intestinal subtype (14 of 27) and diffuse subtype (10 of 17). We compared the expression pattern of uPAR in gastric cancers from a high-risk country (Costa Rica) with a low-risk country (Norway). We found uPAR on gastric cancer cells in 24 of 44 cases (54%) from Costa Rica and in 13 of 23 cases (56%) from Norway. uPAR was seen in macrophages and neutrophils in all cases. We also examined the nonneoplastic mucosa and found that uPAR was more frequently seen in epithelial cells located at the luminal edge of the crypts in cases with Helicobacter pylori infection than in similar epithelial cells in noninfected mucosa (p = 0.033; chi(2) = 4.54). In conclusion, the expression of uPAR in cancer cells in more than half of the gastric cancer cases suggests that their uPAR-positivity do not contribute to explain the different mortality rates between the 2 countries, however, the actual prevalence of uPAR-positive cancer cells in the gastric cancers may still provide prognostic information.

U2 - 10.1002/ijc.24755

DO - 10.1002/ijc.24755

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 19609941

VL - 126

SP - 405

EP - 415

JO - International Journal of Cancer

JF - International Journal of Cancer

SN - 0020-7136

IS - 2

ER -