Abstract
Blood c-erbB-2 concentration was measured by a newly developed chemiluminescent immunoassay, in 56 patients suffering from gastric cancer. Relations between blood c-erbB-2 concentration and the expression of c-erbB-2 protein in carcinoma tissue, the DNA ploidy pattern was examined. Blood c-erbB-2 concentration was higher in the more advanced stage, and no significant difference in blood c-erbB-2 concentration was detected between differentiated and undifferentiated types of gastric carcinoma. Positive expression of c-erbB-2 protein in carcinoma tissue was detected in 8/22 (36.4%) of the cases, and blood c-erbB-2 concentration in positive cases was significantly higher than that in negatively expressed cases. This finding indicates that blood c-erbB-2 concentration can be a marker for suspecting the expression of c-erbB-2 in carcinoma tissue. Blood c-erbB-2 concentration in DNA diploidy cases was higher than that in DNA aneuploidy cases. From these findings, blood c-erbB-2 concentration can be a sensitive indicator for guessing the stage and/or the prognosis of gastric carcinoma.
