The Importance of Galectin-3 and MUC1 in the Metastatic Spread of the Gastric Carcinoma

Nuket Ozkavruk Eliyatkin, Safiye Aktas, Zehra Erkul, Evrim Yalcın, Erdem Comut, Baha Zengel and Adam Uslu

Department of Pathology, Adnan Menderes University, Turkey
Department of Oncology Safiye Aktas,, Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey
Department of Pathology, Zehra Erkul, Turkish Ministry of Health-Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Turkey
Department of Pathology, Evrim Yalcın, Turkish Ministry of Health-Van, Turkey
Department of Pathology, Erdem Comut, Turkish Ministry of Health-Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Turkey
Department of General Surgery, Baha Zengel, Turkish Ministry of Health-Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Turkey
Department of General Surgery, Adam Uslu, Turkish Ministry of Health-Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Turkey

^*Correspondance to: Nuket Ozkavruk Eliyatkin 

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Abstract:

Objective: Gastric cancer mortality ranks forefront among cancer-related deaths. In order to be able to decrease cancer-related deaths, many steps of carcinogenesis, and cancer biology should be understood. It has been determined that MUC1 is a natural ligand of galectin-3 in cancer cells, and binding of galectin-3 to MUC1 increases cell-surface polarization of MUC1 with a process which might be related to the development of metastases. The purpose of his study is to evaluate the association between the expressions of MUC1, and galectin-3 with other prognostic factors in primary tumor, and synchronous lymph node metastasis of the primary tumor in patients diagnosed as gastric carcinoma using immunohistochemical methods.Material and
Method: Samples of 125 primary gastric cancer, and synchronous lymph node metastases of the primary tumor were evaluated as for the association between expressions of galectin-3, and MUC1 with other prognostic parameters, and survival.Results: Decrease in the expressions of galectin-3 and MUC1 in 105 cases with synchronous lymph node metastases was detected relative to the primary tumor. Correlations were detected between the level of galectin-3 expression, depth of tumoral invasion (p=0.015), and recurrence (p=0.002) in the primary tumor, and also between galectin-3 expression, Lauren’s classification (p=0.028), lymphovascular invasion (p=0.054), neural invasion (p=0.016), recurrence (p=0.005), and metastasis (p=0.015) in the synchronous lymph node metastasis. In the primary tumor, correlations were detected between the level of MUC1 expression, and Lauren’s classification (p=0.033), and recurrence (p=0.033), and MUC1 expression, and Lauren’s classification (p=0.028), lymphovascular invasion (p=0.054), neural invasion (p=0.016), and recurrence (p=0.005) in the synchronous lymph node metastasis. In the primary tumor, and synchronous lymph node metastasis, any correlation was not detected between the expressions of galectin-3, and MUC1, and survival in the primary tumor, and also between the expression of galectin-3, and disease-free survival in the synchronous lymph node metastasis. However in the primary tumor as the level of MUC1 expression increased the probability of recurrence also increased (p=0.037). In the synchronous lymph node metastasis, level of MUC1 expression did not affect DFS (p=0.189).Conclusion: In the gastric carcinoma, and synchronous lymph node metastasis, individual determination of galectin-3, and MUC1 expression levels, may be determinative factor as for the pathobiological behavior of the gastric carcinoma, and its prognosis. However further studies which will evaluate metastatic and/or recurrent tumoral tissue in addition to primary tumor tissue are needed.

Keywords:

Gastric carcinoma; MUC1; galectin-3; metastasis; prognosis

Cite the Article:

Eliyatkin NO, Aktas S, Erkul Z, Yalc?n E, Comut E, Zengel B, et al. The Importance of Galectin-3 and MUC1 in the Metastatic Spread of the Gastric Carcinoma. Clin Oncol. 2018; 3: 1401.