Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. Tensin 4 (TNS4) is an adhesive protein belonging to the tensin family. This protein is located in focal adhesion sites. The TNS4 gene is considered an oncogene in numerous cancers. This protein plays an important role in adhesion, migration and proliferation of cells.
Aim: To evaluate expression of TNS4 protein in GC tissues and analysis of the clinical and histopathological parameters as well as the overall survival rate of patients.
Methods: The expression of TNS4 was assessed in 89 patients using immunohistochemistry.
Results: Positive expression of TNS4 was observed in 49 of 89 patients (55.06%). Higher TNS4 expression was more common in GC tumors with a diameter ≥ 5 cm (P = 0.040). We demonstrated that an increase in TNS4 expression was more frequent in tumors of the histological type without mucinous components than in tumors from mucosal cancers (P = 0.023). Furthermore, TNS4 expression was higher in moderately differentiated tumors than in poorly differentiated and non-differentiated tumors (P = 0.002). Increased TNS4 expression was also noted in the intestinal type of GC according to Lauren's classification (P = 0.020). No statistically significant correlation was found between the expression of TNS4 and the overall survival rate of patients.
Conclusion: TNS4 expression was significantly higher in tumors with a diameter ≥ 5 cm of the moderately differentiated intestinal type (according to Lauren's classification) of GC without a mucinous component. Therefore, increased TNS4 expression is related to the histological type of GC with a better prognosis.
Keywords: Adhesion proteins; Gastric cancer; Immunohistochemistry; Tensin 4.
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