Clinical significance of HLA class I heavy chain expression in patients with gastric cancer

Abstract

Background Little is known about the relation between HLA‐I expression and the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. The aim of this retrospective study was to clarify the clinical significance of HLA‐I heavy chain expression in gastric cancer. Methods The study subjects were 202 patients with gastric cancer who had undergone curative surgery. Tumors were examined for expression of HLA‐I heavy chain antigens by immunohistochemistry. We analyzed the association of HLA‐I heavy chain expression with clinicopathological parameters and patient prognosis. Results HLA‐B/C expression showed association with deeper tumor invasion, higher incidence of lymph node metastasis, more advanced tumor stage, and higher incidence of recurrence. Patients with positive HLA‐B/C expression had shorter 5‐year overall and 5‐year disease‐free survival compared with patients whose tumors showed mixed and negative expression (P < 0.05 and 0.01, respectively). In multivariate analysis, although HLA‐B/C expression was not recognized as an independent prognostic factor, it was an independent factor in predicting peritoneal recurrence after curative surgery in patients with gastric cancer [relative risk (RR): 9.924, P = 0.003]. Conclusion Expression of HLA‐B/C heavy chain is associated with tumor progression, and it could be a significant predictor of peritoneal recurrence after curative surgery in patients with gastric cancer. J. Surg. Oncol. 2008;97:451–455.