Lack of clinical usefulness of Das-1 monoclonal antibody and mucin expression as risk markers of gastric carcinoma in patients with gastric intestinal metaplasia

The Role of Mucin Expression in the Diagnosis of Oesophago-Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Literature Review

Survival in oesophago-gastric cancer (OGC) is poor due to early diagnostic challenges. Non-invasive risk stratification may identify susceptible patients with pre-malignant or benign disease. Following diagnostic confirmation with endoscopic biopsy, early OGC may be treated sooner. Mucins are transmembrane glycoproteins implicated in OGC with potential use as biomarkers of malignant transformation. This systematic review defines the role of mucins in OGC diagnosis. A literature search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane databases was performed following PRISMA protocols for studies published January 1960-December 2022. Demographic data and data on mucin sampling and analysis methods were extracted. The review included 124 studies (n = 11,386 patients). Gastric adenocarcinoma (GAc) was the commonest OG malignancy (n = 101) followed by oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAc, n = 24) and squamous cell carcinoma (OSqCc, n = 10). Mucins MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6 were the most frequently implicated. High MUC1 expression correlated with poorer prognosis and metastases in OSqCc. MUC2 expression decreases during progression from healthy mucosa to OAc, causing reduced protection from gastric acid. MUC5AC was upregulated, and MUC6 downregulated in GAc. Mucin expression varies in OGC; changes may be epigenetic or mutational. Profiling upper GI mucin expression in OGC, with pre-malignant, benign and healthy controls may identify potential early diagnostic biomarkers.

Biomarkers predicting development of metachronous gastric cancer after endoscopic resection: an analysis of molecular pathology of Helicobacter pylori eradication

Metachronous gastric cancer (MGC) after endoscopic resection (ER) of gastric cancer still occurs to some degree even after Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) treatment. We evaluated whether two biomarkers related to carcinogenesis expressed in intestinal metaplasia (IM) become predictors for MGC development after eradication. We performed a hospital-based, case-control study of 75 patients, including 50 mucosal cancer patients who had undergone ER (Group DYS), and 25 age- and sex-matched chronic gastritis patients for whom H. pylori had been successfully eradicated (control). Additionally, Group DYS patients were divided into two groups: 25 successfully H. pylori-eradicated (eradicated group) and 25 un-eradicated patients (persistent group). All patients were followed for 1 year. We analyzed microsatellite instability (MSI) and immunoperoxidase assays using a monoclonal antibody for the colonic phenotype (Das-1). Both MSI and Das-1 reactivity in IM were significantly higher in Group DYS than in the control (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). MSI and Das-1 reactivity were strong and independent predictors for gastric cancer (OR = 7.09, 95% CI 1.27-39.6, p = 0.03 for MSI and OR = 4.96, 95% CI 1.64-15.0, p = 0.005 for Das-1 reactivity). The incidence of MSI tended to decrease in the eradicated group (p = 0.07), but not in the persistent group. The Das-1 immunoreactivity in IM also declined in both the eradicated group and the control. Interestingly, all MGCs after ER were positive for MSI or Das-1 reactivity. MSI or Das-1 reactivity in IM strongly predicts the development of MGC. Patients in whom these biomarkers persist after eradication may therefore have a high risk of developing MGC.