[The prognostic significance of expression of c-met oncogene and its relation to gastric mucosal lesions].

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a relationship between the expression of c-met oncogene and the stage of gastric mucosal lesions or the prognosis of gastric carcinomas.

METHODS: Expression of c-met was investigated in 169 gastric mucosal lesions by using immunohistochemistry. Survival analysis was studied with the Kaplan-Meier test.

RESULTS: For chronic superficial gastritis, chronic atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, early gastric carcinomas and advanced gastric carcinomas, the expression rates were 23.5%, 36.8%, 51.5%, 61.3%, 66.7% and 73.7% respectively. The positive rate was higher in intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and gastric carcinomas than in chronic superficial gastritis (P < 0.05). Expression of c-met increased with the increasing proliferation of gastric mucosa in rank correlation test, which showed a close relationship (P < 0.01). Expression of c-met correlated significantly with histologic type, serosal invasion and lymph node metastases. In particular, the expression of c-met was significantly higher in Borrmann type IV gastric carcinomas (87.5%) than in early gastric carcinomas (66.7%) or Borrmann type I, II (68.7%, P < 0.01). The survival rate of patients with expression of c-met was significantly lower than that of patients without c-met expression.

CONCLUSION: The expression of c-met is associated with proliferation and malignant transformation of gastric mucosa. These results suggest that expression of c-met might be a new prognostic factor in gastric carcinoma.