Expression of human epidermal growth factor and DNA ploidy pattern in gastric carcinoma

Expression of human epidermal growth factor (EGF) was examined immunohistologically in 93 surgically resected gastric carcinomas, using Biotin-StreptAvidin method pretreated by protease, and its relation with cancer progression and DNA ploidy pattern was studied. DNA ploidy pattern was determined by cytofluorometric measurement. The gastric cancers were divided into two basic ploidy patterns; a diploid mode and an aneuploid mode. EGF expressions were found in 5 out of 20 cases (25%) in intramucosal carcinomas and, the more deeply the carcinomas invaded into the gastric wall, the greater the frequency of EGF expressions did not always become. In the carcinomas with the aneuploid pattern, EGF expression was found only in 2 out of 12 cases (17%) in early cancers and significantly increased in advanced cancers, 15 out of 22 cases (68%). On the other hand, in the carcinomas with the diploid pattern, EGF was expressed in 9 out of 31 cases (29%) in advanced cancers, not significantly different in early cancers, 11 out of 28 cases (39%). Consequently, in advanced cancers, EGF was found more frequently in the aneuploid tumors than in the diploid tumors. These results suggested that EGF expression in the gastric carcinomas is closely correlated with the progression to the advanced cancer with DNA aneuploidy.