BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Regional chemotherapy is charactized by a high drug concentration in tumor tissues and slight side-effects. Some significant histopathological changes were observed in the patients with gastric carcinoma treated by selective intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy before operation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of preoperative intra-arterial chemotherapy on apoptosis and p53 expression in human gastric cancer and its clinical significance. METHODS: The apoptosis was examined by terminal uridine deoxynucleotide nick end labeling (TUNEL) and the expression of p53 was detected with immunohistochemistry in 33 patients with gastric carcinoma pre- and post-chemotherapy respectively. RESULTS: Apoptosis index(AI) was significantly higher in the post-chemotherapeutic patients than in the pre-chemotherapeutic ones (19.29 +/- 6.48 versus 9.24 +/- 5.03, P < 0.01). In contrast, the positive expression rate of p53 was significantly lower, in the post-chemotherapeutic patients, than in the pre-chemotherapeutic ones(30.30% versus 54.55%, P < 0.05). In the post-chemotherapeutic patients, the droped group of p53 expression were strongly associated with a better clinical response(P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative intra-arterial chemotherapy could enhance the apoptosis of gastric cancer cell, decrease the level of p53 expression and keep the patients for a longer survival.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Regional chemotherapy is charactized by a high drug concentration in tumor tissues and slight side-effects. Some significant histopathological changes were observed in the patients with gastric carcinoma treated by selective intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy before operation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of preoperative intra-arterial chemotherapy on apoptosis and p53 expression in humangastric cancer and its clinical significance. METHODS: The apoptosis was examined by terminal uridine deoxynucleotide nick end labeling (TUNEL) and the expression of p53 was detected with immunohistochemistry in 33 patients with gastric carcinoma pre- and post-chemotherapy respectively. RESULTS: Apoptosis index(AI) was significantly higher in the post-chemotherapeutic patients than in the pre-chemotherapeutic ones (19.29 +/- 6.48 versus 9.24 +/- 5.03, P < 0.01). In contrast, the positive expression rate of p53 was significantly lower, in the post-chemotherapeutic patients, than in the pre-chemotherapeutic ones(30.30% versus 54.55%, P < 0.05). In the post-chemotherapeutic patients, the droped group of p53 expression were strongly associated with a better clinical response(P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative intra-arterial chemotherapy could enhance the apoptosis of gastric cancer cell, decrease the level of p53 expression and keep the patients for a longer survival.