Lee HH et al. -The clinical significance of Slug expression in gastric cancer was studied. Specifically, high expression of Slug in gastric cancer tissue was associated with lymph node metastasis and poor survival.

Methods

• Slug expression in gastric cancer tissues was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarrays.

Results

• 456 patients who had undergone gastrectomies were divided into 3 groups according to Slug composite score (≤4, 6, and 9).
• Low, mid, and high expression of Slug was observed in 104, 130, and 225 of cases, respectively.
• OS and RFS increased from high-to-low Slug expression.
• The rate of positive lymph node metastasis was 36.5%, 60.8%, and 79.1% in low, mid, and high Slug expression groups, respectively.
• High Slug expression was associated with a high rate of positive lymph node metastasis compared with low Slug expression (OR = 3.42).
• Patients with negative Slug expression had no lymph node metastasis, whereas patients with positive Slug expression had 15.9% lymph node metastasis.