Association of cortactin and fascin-1 expression in gastric adenocarcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological parameters.

Cortactin and fascin-1 are important factors in tumor progression. We tested the hypothesis that cortactin and fascin-1 expression correlates with clinicopathological parameters of gastric adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical analysis of cortactin and fascin-1 was done using tissue microarrays of 100 surgical specimens, including 20 well-differentiated, 20 moderately differentiated, and 60 poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinomas. Among the 20 well-differentiated gastric adenocarcinomas, 15 cases (75%) showed negative or weak staining (1+); 5 cases (25%) had moderate (2+) or strong (3+) cortactin expression. Among the 60 poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinomas, more than three-quarters of the cases (76.7%) had moderate or strong cortactin expression; 14 cases (23.3%) had weak staining. Of 20 well-differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma cases, 14 (70%) showed negative or weak staining of fascin-1, whereas nearly one-third (30%) had moderate or strong expression. Among the 60 poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinomas, 32 (53.3%) exhibited moderate or strong fascin-1 expression; fewer than half of the cases showed negative or weak staining. Higher intensity of cortactin and fascin-1 staining correlated directly with more-advanced cancer stages (TNM) and inversely with survival rates. Our findings suggest the possibility that pharmacological inhibitors of cortactin and fascin-1 activity may slow down tumor progression and prolong survival time in patients with gastric adenocarcinomas.