CORRELATION BETWEEN HER2 AND EBV EXPRESSION IN GASTRIC CARCINOMA

Abstract

Introduction: The understanding of the etiopathogenesis and the molecular basis of gastric carcinoma will facilitate the development of novel molecular target therapies, which interfere with different signal cascades involved in cellular proliferation, differentiation and survival. The aim of this paper was to determine the correlation between HER2 and EBV expression in patients with gastric carcinomas. Material and methods: Eighty patients with gastric carcinoma surgically treated were included in the study. Data of HER2 protein expression were obtained from the archived histopathological reports of the Institute of Pathology in Skopje. For detection of EBV, immunostainings were performed on tumor tissue and the peripheral nontumor gastric mucosa. Results: The results of this study confirmed a significant association between HER2 and EBV expression (p=0.041). The value of the Spearman correlation coefficient (R = - 0.258) indicated a negative, indirect connection of HER2 and EBV expression, which was confirmed as statistically significant (p = 0.02). The HER2 expression in gastric carcinomas was significantly associated with EBV expression, and the expression of HER2 was significantly more common in EBV negative cancers.