Clinicopathological Significance Of Expressed IL-6and Active Stat3in Gastric Cancer And The Impacts On Disease Prognosis

Objective: To explore the clinicopathological significance in gastric cancer through examining andcomparing expressed IL-6and constitutively activated Stat3in cancerous and adjacent non-canceroustissues, as well as the impact of IL-6/Stat3pathway on the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer.Methods:(1) We chose181cases of gastric cancer and adjacent tissues181cases, all of samples were theformalin-fixed and paraffin embedding tissues.(2) Immunohistochemistry (SP method) was used to detectthe expression of IL-6and p-Stat3.(3) We collected181cases of clinical data and follow-up all the patients,118cases were followed.(3) PCR experiment was used to detect the expression of IL-6and Stat3;(4)Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version17.0) statistical software package. Qualitative datawere analyzed using chi-square test. Spearman rank correlation test was used to analyze the correlationbetween IL-6expression and Stat3activation in different tissues. Survival durations were calculated usingthe Kaplan-Meier method.Results:(1) The expressions of IL-6and Stat3in gastric carcinoma tissues are significantly higher thanthose in adjacent tissues, and they are gradually increased in normal gastric mucosa, chronic atrophicgastritis, low-grade and high-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia lesion.(2) The expressions of IL-6in gastric carcinoma tissues become significantly higher along with the age to older, the depth of invasionto deeper, lymph node metastasis, clinical stage to higher. The expressions of Stat3become significantlyhigher along with the depth of invasion to deeper, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and clinicalstage to higher. IL-6and Stat3prompted with gastric cancer development, invasion and metastasis.(3)118cases of follow-up patients with a median survival of4.29years, IL-6, and p-Stat3expression level and thesurvival time of patients with gastric cancer was statistically significant (P <0.001), suggesting thatabnormal expression of IL-6and activation of Stat3were strong indicators to determine the prognosis ofpatients with gastric cancer.(4) The expression levels of IL-6and activation levels of Stat3are consistent ingastric cancer tissues.Conclusions:(1) Both the levels of expressed IL-6and constitutively activated Stat3are equivalent ingastric cancer patients indicating that the two key molecules of the IL-6/Stat3signaling pathway may actsynergistically in the pathogenesis and progression of gastric cancer.(2) Highly activated p-Stat3level isassociated with the invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, and advanced stage, suggesting the involvementof p-Stat3in the carcinogenesis, progression, invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer.(3) Both the highlevels of IL-6and active p-Stat3are inversely correlated with patient survival, placing the IL-6/Stat3signaling pathway in a position to serve as a potential predictor for the prognosis of patients with gastriccancer.