Background & objective: EMS1 (chromosome eleven, band q13, mammary tumor and squamous cell carcinoma-associated gene 1) is correlated to the genesis, progression, invasion and metastasis of some malignancies. This study was to investigate the expression of EMS1 protein in gastric carcinoma, and to explore its correlation to the carcinogenesis of gastric carcinoma.
Methods: The expression of EMS1 protein in 20 specimens of normal gastric mucosa, 38 specimens of intraepithelial neoplasia, and 146 specimens of gastric carcinoma was detected by immunohistochemistry.
Results: EMS1 protein was expressed in cytoplasm. The positive rate of EMS1 protein was significantly higher in gastric carcinoma than in intraepithelial neoplasia and normal gastric mucosa (89.7% vs. 68.4% and 20.0%, P<0.001), and significantly higher in intraepithelial neoplasia than in normal gastric mucosa (P<0.001). The positive rate of EMS1 protein was significantly lower in the gastric carcinomas at early stages than in those at advanced stages (60.9% vs. 95.1%, P<0.001), and significantly higher in the gastric carcinomas with lymph node metastases than in those without lymph node metastases (96.8% vs. 77.0%, P<0.001). EMS1 protein expression had no correlations to sex, age, tumor differentiation and diameter.
Conclusion: EMS1 protein expression is related to the carcinogenesis, lymph node metastasis and clinical stage of gastric carcinoma.