Abstract
Little reports is known about gene expression of thymidylate synthase (TS), thymidine phosphorylase (TP), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), orotate phosphoribosyl transferase (OPRT) in biliary tract carcinoma. We semiquantified the mRNA levels of these enzymes in 22 patients of biliary tract carcinoma using Danenberg tumor profile method, compared to 63 patients of colorectal carcinoma, and 29 of gastric carcinoma. We also studied the correlation between these enzymes and clinicopathological features. No difference in TSmRNA and OPRTmRNA expression levels was observed among other carcinoma. DPDmRNA and TPmRNA expression levels were significantly higher in biliary tract carcinoma than in other carcinoma. In clinicopathological features, no difference in histological typing, depth of tumor invasion, cancer-stroma relationship, INF, ly, v, and pn was observed. TSmRNA and OPRTmRNA expression levels were significantly lower in pT4 than in pT1, 2. We thought that DPD inhibitory drugs had enough effectiveness in biliary tract carcinoma. Because TPmRNA expression level were significantly higher than in other carcinoma, the effectiveness of DPD inhibitory drugs was possible to be reduced.
