PTK7 as a novel marker for favorable gastric cancer patient survival

J Surg Oncol. 2012 Dec;106(7):880-6. doi: 10.1002/jso.23154. Epub 2012 May 14.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) plays important functions in several cancer types but its expression in gastric cancer remains unknown. This study was designed to investigate PTK7 expression in gastric cancer.

Methods: PTK7 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 201 gastric cancer patients. The relationship between PTK7 expression and clinicopathological features and patients prognosis were statistically analyzed.

Results: PTK7 expression was detected in 56.72% (114 of 201) of gastric cancer patients. The immunostaining was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm. The statistical analyses showed that PTK7 expression was more frequently detected in patients with well-differentiated tumors (P = 0.001). Furthermore, PTK7 expression was significantly related to the favorable overall survival (OS; P = 0.012) and disease-free survival (DFS; P = 0.009). Multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that PTK7 expression was an independent prognostic factor for both favorable OS (P = 0.028) and DFS (P = 0.012).

Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that PTK7 can serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer patients.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules / metabolism*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Prognosis
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / mortality*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology
  • Survival Rate

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • PTK7 protein, human
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases