Prognostic importance of PTEN, EGFR, HER-2, and IGF-1R in gastric cancer patients treated with postoperative chemoradiation

Abstract

Background/aim: This study aimed to describe the prognostic importance of epidermal growth factor (EGFR), phosphatase and tensinhomolog (PTEN), human EGF receptor-2 (HER-2), and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) in gastric cancer patients treatedwith postoperative chemoradiation therapy.Materials and methods: Sixty-nine patients treated with adjuvant chemoradiation therapy were retrospectively evaluated. Tumorsamples were stained immunohistochemically.Results: All patients were treated with 3D conformal radiation therapy with concomitant and adjuvant chemotherapy. Perineuralinvasion (PNI) (P = 0.042), prechemoradiation therapy albumin levels below 3.5 mg/dL (P = 0.011), and EGFR positivity (P = 0.008) hadnegative effects on overall survival (OS). The median OS was 26 months for patients with PNI (+), 34.9 months for those with PNI (–),19.5 months for those with albumin levels below 3.5 mg/dL, and 33.2 months for those with albumin levels above 3.5 mg/dL. IGF-1R (+)(P = 0.035) and history of cigarette smoking (P = 0.033) were observed to have a statistically significantly negative effect on disease-freesurvival (DFS). The median DFS was 29.2 months for IGF-1R (+) patients, 37.9 months for those with IGF-1R (-), and 26.3 and 40.59months for smokers and nonsmokers, respectively.Conclusion: IGF-1R and EGFR may be used for patient selection in future prospective studies that evaluate the prognostic importanceof these receptors.