Is Helicobacter Pylori associated with Her2/neu Overexpression in Gastric Cancer Patients who Underwent Curative Resection?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2/neu) is an important target for treatment of gastric cancer using trastuzumab and Helicobacter pylori is a well-known risk factor of gastric cancer. We investigated the association of Her2/neu overexpression with Helicobacter pylori and other clinicopathologic factors in gastric cancer patients who underwent curative resection.

METHODOLOGY

Her2/neu immunohistochemistry was performed in gastric cancer patients who underwent curative gastrectomy or endoscopic submucosal dissection. Analysis about its associations with clinicopathologic features such as Lauren histologic types, differentiation, Helicobacter pylori infection, location, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and AJCC tumor stage was performed retrospectively.

RESULTS

The incidence of Her2/neu 3+, 2+, 1+ and 0 was 8.9%, 22.1%, 4.4% and 64.6% respectively. Intestinal type of gastric cancer showed higher incidence of Her2/neu 3+ than diffuse type. The score 2+ and 3+ was more common in Helicobacter pylori-positive patients than Helicobacter pylori-negative patients (p = 0.024). 7th American joint Cancer Committee Tumor stage, depth of tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis did not show correlation with the level of Her2/neu expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Helicobacter pylori-positive gastric cancer showed more Her2/neu overexpression. Helicobacter pylori eradication may be necessary to avoid Her2/neu overexpression.