This study examined the effect of preoperative low-dose tegafur treatment in human gastric carcinomas. Among 55 patients with gastric carcinoma, 33 received an oral administration of tegafur 600 mg/body/day for 7 days before. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens were immunostained for Ki-67, P53, P21, CD34, Bax, VEGF, and dThdPase and also examined by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labeling procedure. The apoptotic index (AI), Ki-67 labeling index (KI) and intratumoral microvessel density (IMVD) were counted. Mean AI and IMVD were 3.4±1.60 and 126.1±36.56 in the treated carcinomas, and 2.3±0.88 and 98.0±44.40 in the non-treated carcinomas, both values being significantly higher in the former (P<0.05). The treatment resulted in a significant increase of mean AI in the intestinal type, in the early, and in the P53-positive carcinomas (P<0.05), while the treatment brought a significant increase of IMVD in the diffuse type, in the early and in the P53-negative carcinomas (P<0.05, respectively). No significant difference was noted on the frequency of P53, P21, BAX, VEGF and dThdPase expressions between the two groups. Ki-67 expression did not correlate with any factors. Preoperative low-dose tegafur treatment resulted in a paradoxical effect; enhanced apoptosis and increased IMVD in human gastric carcinomas.

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