Clinical significance of β-catenin's re-expression in metastatic lymph nodes in advanced gastric cancer

Objective To investigate the re expression of β catenin in cancer cells of metastatic lymph nodes in advanced gastric cancer,and to evaluate its clinical significance.Methods Immunohistochemical expressions of β catenin were observed in 96 primary advanced gastric cancers and 79 metastatic lymph nodes. The expressional levels of β catenin were compared between primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes,and whose correlations with clinical pathological characteristics and survival time of patients were analyzed.Results Among 79 metastatic lymph nodes,increased expressions of β catenin in metastatic cancer cells, as compared with their primary tumors,were found in 23 cases (29%).The overall 5 year survival rate of 23 patients who had metastatic lymph nodes with re expression of β catenin (9%) was significantly poorer than that of 56 patients who had metastatic lymph nodes without re expression of β catenin (20%,P0.01).Conclusion There is re expression of β catenin in cancer cells of metastatic lymph nodes in advanced gastric cancer, which plays an important role in the accumulation and growth of cancer cells in metastatic focus.To compare the expression levels of β catenin in the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes immediately after surgery may provide new prognostic parameter for patients with advanced gastric cancer.