Abstract
We determined the level of expression several genes that regulate different steps in the process of gastric cancer metastasis (growth [epidermal growth factor receptor: EGF-R], angiogenesis [basic fibroblast growth factor: bFGF] and vascular endothelial growth factor: VEGF), invasion (type IV collagenase), and cell adhesion/cohesion (E-cadherin) in biopsy specimens of primary human gastric carcinomas by using the in situ hybridization (ISH) method to predict lymphatic invasion and vascular invasion. Our results showed that higher expression of type IV collagenase and lower expression of E-cadherin significantly related to lymphatic invasion, and higher expression of type IV collagenase and VEGF were significantly correlated with vascular invasion, These results suggest that our ISH method for gastric biopsy specimens will be useful to predict lymphatic invasion and vascular invasion followed by metastasis and recurrence of gastric cancer.
