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Updated: Mar 31, 2026
Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer
Published on: September 18, 2020
Heterogeneity of c-Met expression in Chinese gastric cancer patients
Chunchao Zhu1, Jia Xu1, Maoran Li1
1Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, PR China.
Abstract:
c-Met is an attractive target for gastric cancer (GC) therapy, and detection of c-Met expression is critical for diagnosis. The aims of this study were to quantify the heterogeneous expression of c-Met in GC and to explore its impact on diagnosis. The expression of c-Met in 199 tumor fragments derived from 47 GC patients was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. In parallel, copy numbers of MET were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Expression of c-Met was observed in 22 patients, and 18 (81.8%) of 22 were heterogeneous; but the incidence rate of heterogeneity was not significantly different among patient subgroups with various degrees of c-Met expression. MET copies were increased in 4 patients. Two represented polysomy, and 2 were caused by amplification. Expression of c-Met in MET-amplified tumors was homogeneous. In conclusion, heterogeneity of c-Met expression was widely observed in GC but was not associated with the extent of expression.
Insights
Heterogeneous c-Met expression is common in gastric cancer (GC) and crucial for therapy targeting. This study found c-Met expression heterogeneity widely present in GC, but not linked to expression levels.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Pathology
Background:
- c-Met is a key therapeutic target in gastric cancer (GC).
- Accurate detection of c-Met expression is vital for GC diagnosis and treatment.
- Understanding c-Met expression patterns is crucial for optimizing targeted therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the heterogeneous expression of c-Met in gastric cancer.
- To investigate the impact of c-Met heterogeneity on GC diagnosis.
- To correlate c-Met expression patterns with MET gene copy numbers.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate c-Met expression in 199 tumor fragments from 47 GC patients.
- Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was employed to determine MET gene copy numbers.
- Analysis of expression heterogeneity across different tumor samples and patient subgroups.
Main Results:
- c-Met expression was detected in 22 patients, with 81.8% exhibiting heterogeneous expression.
- The incidence of heterogeneity did not significantly differ across subgroups with varying c-Met expression levels.
- MET gene copy number increases (polysomy or amplification) were observed in 4 patients; c-Met expression was homogeneous in MET-amplified tumors.
Conclusions:
- Heterogeneity of c-Met expression is a widespread phenomenon in gastric cancer.
- c-Met expression heterogeneity in GC is not associated with the overall extent of c-Met expression.
- While MET amplification can lead to homogeneous expression, overall heterogeneity is common regardless of gene copy number changes.
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