rss
J Clin Pathol 2006;59:328-330 doi:10.1136/jcp.2005.027284
  • Short report

Aberrant maspin expression in gallbladder epithelium is associated with intestinal metaplasia in patients with cholelithiasis

  1. C Maesawa1,
  2. S Ogasawara2,
  3. A Yashima-Abo1,
  4. T Kimura1,
  5. K Kotani1,
  6. S Masuda1,
  7. Y Nagata1,
  8. T Iwaya2,
  9. K Suzuki3,
  10. T Oyake3,
  11. Y Akiyama2,
  12. H Kawamura2,
  13. T Masuda1
  1. 1Department of Pathology, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Uchimaru 19-1, 020-8505 Morioka, Japan
  2. 2Department of Surgery I, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Uchimaru 19-1, 020-8505, Japan
  3. 3Department of Hematology/Oncology, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, 020-8505 Morioka, Japan
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr C Maesawa
 Department of Pathology, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Uchimaru 19-1, 020-8505 Morioka, Japan; chihaya{at}iwate-med.ac.jp
  • Accepted 13 April 2005

Abstract

Objective: Aberrant expression of maspin protein related to DNA hypomethylation in the promoter region is frequently observed in gallbladder carcinomas, whereas the non-tumorous gallbladder epithelium is maspin negative. We investigated maspin expression in non-tumorous gallbladder epithelium in patients with cholelithiasis.

Methods: An immunohistochemical study of maspin expression was performed in 69 patients with cholelithiasis and 30 patients with gastric cancer without cholelithiasis.

Results: Immunoreactivity for maspin was observed in focal and patchy regions of the gallbladder epithelium. Positive immunoreactivity for maspin was significantly associated with the presence of intestinal metaplasia in patients with cholelithiasis (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The high incidence of aberrant maspin expression in both intestinal metaplasia and carcinoma of the gallbladder supports the assumption that intestinal metaplasia of the gallbladder may predispose to gallbladder carcinoma.

Footnotes

    This Article

    1. Abstract
    2. Full text
    3. PDF

    Responses

    1. Submit a response
    2. No responses published

    Register for free content

    The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

    Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.