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Prognostic significance of loss of c-fos protein in gastric carcinoma

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

c-fos was first identified as a viral oncoprotein, and has been studied in terms of its oncogenic function in tumorigenesis. Many experimental and clinical data indicated that c-fos expression plays a role in the progression of several types of carcinomas. However, some recent studies challenge this view as they indicate that c-fos has tumor suppressor activity. In the present study, we assessed c-fos protein expression in 625 consecutive gastric cancers immunohistochemically, and analyzed its relationship with clinicopathologic factors and survival. We found that a loss of c-fos expression is correlated with a more advanced stage, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion and shorter survival, indicating that c-fos expression in gastric cancer cells is lost during progression and that this loss is associated with a poor prognosis. The above findings suggest that loss of c-fos expression has tumor suppressor activity in gastric cancer and we suspect that this suppressor activity might be related to the pro-apoptotic function of c-fos.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yeongeon-dong, 110-799, Seoul, Korea

    Seon Pil Jin, Min A Kim & Woo Ho Kim (Professor)

  2. Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul

    Han-Kwang Yang

  3. Department of Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul

    Ji Hun Kim & Woo Ho Kim (Professor)

  4. Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea

    Hee Eun Lee & Hye Seung Lee

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  1. Seon Pil Jin
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  2. Ji Hun Kim
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  3. Min A Kim
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  4. Han-Kwang Yang
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  5. Hee Eun Lee
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  6. Hye Seung Lee
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  7. Woo Ho Kim
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Correspondence to Woo Ho Kim.

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Jin, S.P., Kim, J.H., Kim, M.A. et al. Prognostic significance of loss of c-fos protein in gastric carcinoma. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 13, 284–289 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02940306

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02940306

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