Immunohistochemical Study of the C-erbB-2, COX-2, MMP-9, p53 and VEGF Expressions in Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Kim, Yong Seok; Choi, Jae Young; Cha, Seong Jae; Yoo, Jae Hyung

Abstract

PURPOSE: Researching the inhibitors of the gene products that participate in the multistep carcinogenetic events of human cancer is important for chemoprevention or adjuvant cancer therapy. This study was performed to search for basic data for the chemoprevention or adjuvant therapy of human hepatobiliary and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and we wanted to evaluate the coexpression of each gene product and the relationship between the expression of each gene product and the clinocopathologic factors and the prognosis.
METHODS
The following formalin-fixed paraffin embedded surgical specimens were immunohistochemically stained by the avidin-biotin complex method for C-erbB-2, COX-2, MMP-9, p53 and VEGF. There were 15 cases of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 12 cases of metastatic adenocarcinoma in the liver, 15 cases of gallbladder adenocarcinoma, 25 cases of extrahepatic bile duct adnocarcinoma involving the ampullary region and 20 cases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
RESULTS
Varying frequencies of the overexpressions of the five gene products in the hepatobiliary and pancreatic adenocarcinomas were noted. Although the coexpression of the five gene products was observed to various degrees, the VEGF expression was statistically correlated with the expressions of COX-2 (in the intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma) MMP-9 (in the glalbladder adenocarcinoma) and p53 (in the extrahepatic bile duct and pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma) (P<0.05). There was also statistical correlation between the C-erbB-2 and COX-2 expressions and the clinical stage of adenocarcinoma of the extrahepatic bile ducts (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that the overexpression of the five gene products was one of the important multistep carcinogenetic events, and the VEGF expression might play an important role in the coexpression of other gene products of hepatobiliary and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.