Expression characteristics of HERG protein in gastric cancer tissue and its correlation with pathological features

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression characteristics of human eag-related gene (HERG) protein in gastric cancer tissue, and its correlation with pathological features.

MethodsThe expression levels of HERG protein in 78 gastric cancer tissue specimens and normal tissue adjacent to the cancer (from the margin of cancer >5 cm) from February 2014 to March 2017.were detected using immunohistochemistry

ResultsThe positive rate of HERG protein expression in gastric cancer was 76.92%, which was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissue(0.00%) (P < 0.01).The positive rates of HERG protein expression in patients with low-middle differentiation and lymph node metastasis were 86.67% and 92.86%, which were significantly higher than those in patients with high differentiation and no lymph node metastasis (63.64% and 58.33%), respectively(P < 0.05 and P < 0.01).The positive expression rates of HERG protein were not significantly correlated with age, sex, tumor infiltration, TNM staging and tumor size in gastric cancer patients(P>0.05).The median survival time and progression-free survival time in positive HERG patients were 23 months and 20 months, respectively, the median survival time and progression-free survival time in patients with negative HERG were 30 months and 24 months, respectively, and the difference of which was not statistically significant(P>0.05).

ConclusionsThe expression of HERG protein is related to the degree of differentiation and lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer, but it is not clear with the prognosis of the patients.