Abstract:

 Objective To evaluate the expression of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 （FGFR2），thrombospondins 1 （THBS1） and thrombospondins 4（THBS4） in gastric cancer tissues. Methods Expression of FGFR2，THBS1 and THBS4 was detected based on immunohistochemistry of SABC and investigate its association with pathological features. Results Rates of high expression of FGFR2，THBS1 and THBS4 were，respectively，68.67%，57.83%，and 62.65%. Expression of all three proteins was significantly higher in gastric cancer tissue than in adjacent normal tissues. Patients with high FGFR2 expression had deeper tumor depth （P=0.003） and were in a later clinical stage （P=0.009） than patients with low FGFR2 expression. THBS1 expression showed no significant relationship with clinico-pathological factors. In contrast，high THBS4 expression correlated with moderately differentiated and well-differentiated tumors（P=0.001）. Correlation analysis suggests a positive correlation between FGFR2 and THBS1 expression（r=0.229，P=0.037） and negative correlation between FGFR2 and THBS4 expression（r=-0.213，P=0.045）. Conclusion FGFR2，THBS1 and THBS4 expression is high in gastric cancer tissues. THBS1 up-regulation and THBS4 down-regulation by FGFR2 may be one of the molecular mechanisms of gastric cancer progression.

Key words: Gastric neoplasms, Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2, Thrombospondins 1, Thrombospondins 4