Gastric and intestinal phenotypic correlation between exocrine and endocrine components in human stomach tumors

• Autores: Y. Takenaka, Tetsuya Tsukamoto, Tsutomu Mizoshita, Naotaka Ogasawara, N. Hirano, Hisayo Ban, T. Nakamura, Masae Tatematsu, T. Otsuka, Y. Yamamura, M. Kaminishi
• Localización: Histology and histopathology: cellular and molecular biology, ISSN-e 1699-5848, ISSN 0213-3911, Vol. 22, Nº. 3, 2007, págs. 273-284
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • We have previously suggested that an origin of a stomach cancer is from a progenitor cell specializing toward exocrine cell (Exo-cell) lineages. To clarify whether our hypothesis is correct or not, we analyzed the expression of Exo-cell and endocrine cell (End-cell) markers in a series of lesions for comparison. We evaluated chromogranin A (CgA) expression in 37 early and 73 advanced stomach cancers, in 30 stomach adenomas, in 8 carcinoid tumors, and in 4 endocrine cell carcinomas (ECCs) with assessment of gastric and/or intestinal (G/I) phenotypes in both Exo-cell and End-cell by immunohistochemistry. CgA expression was observed in 10.8% of the early and 16.4% of the advanced stomach cancers, respectively. The End-cell G/I phenotypes were in line with the Exo-cell counterparts in the CgA-positive stomach cancerous areas, and there was strong association between Cdx2 expression and the intestinal End-cell markers. All of the adenoma cases had the intestinal Exo-cell phenotypic expression, with the positive link between Exo-cell and End-cell G/I phenotypes. All stomach carcinoids had CgA expression but no expression of Exo-cell markers. In conclusion, most stomach cancers might develop from a progenitor cell specializing towards Exo-cell lineages, but some cases possessed both Exo-cell and End-cell markers with maturely differentiated phenotypes. In such cases, Exo-cell and End-cell phenotypes were found to correlate strongly, suggesting the possibility of histogenesis from ¿cancer stem cells¿.