Brief Reports
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2004. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 1, 2004; 10(9): 1382-1385
Published online May 1, 2004. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v10.i9.1382
Expression and significance of angiopoietin-2 in gastric cancer
Xiao-Dong Sun, Xing-E Liu, Jin-Min Wu, Xiu-Jun Cai, Yi-Ping Mou, Jun-Da Li
Xiao-Dong Sun, Xiu-Jun Cai, Yi-Ping Mou, Jun-Da Li, Department of General Surgery, the Affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang Province, China
Xing-E Liu, Jin-Min Wu, Center of Oncology, the Affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Iovino P wrote the letter; Santonicola A and Ciacci C revised the letter.
Correspondence to: Dr. Xiao-Dong Sun, Department of General Surgery, the Affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang Province, China. s.xiaodong@sohu.com
Telephone: +86-571-86090073 Fax: +86-571-86044817
Received: September 18, 2003
Revised: October 2, 2003
Accepted: October 12, 2003
Published online: May 1, 2004
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the expression and pathological factors of Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) in primary gastric cancers and adjacent normal tissues.

METHODS: The expression of Angiopoietin-2 and VEGF were studied in 72 primary gastric cancers and adjacent normal tissues from the same patients by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immumohistochemistry.

RESULTS: Ang-2 was mainly expression in tumor cells. There were significantly difference between expression of Ang-2 in primary gastric cancer and in adjacent normal tissue samples (P = 0.003). It was statistically correlation between Ang-2 and VEGF expression in tumors (P = 0.0055). With regard to Ang-2 expression in tumors, there were significant difference between early stage and advanced stage (P = 0.017), and significant difference between positive vascular involvement and negative vascular involvement (P = 0.032). However, there was no significant difference between moderate-poor differential type and high differential type (P = 0.908), between positive lymph node metastasis and negative lymph node metastasis (P = 0.752), between positive serosal invasion and negative serosal invasion (P = 0.764). The cases with expression of Ang-2 were increasing with advanced stage and vascular involvement.

CONCLUSION: The results manifested that Angiopoietin-2, coordinated with VEGF, play role in regulating tumor angiogenesis of gastric cancer.

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