Upregulated expression of Annexin II is a prognostic marker for patients with gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: The role of annexin II in the development and progression of gastric cancer was explored. METHODS: Real-time PCR was conducted to detect annexin II and S100A6 mRNA expression. Protein expressions of annexin II and S100A6 were also examined by immunohistochemistry in 436 clinicopathologically characterized gastric cancer cases. RESULTS: The expression of annexin II and S100A6 mRNA differ significantly among gastric tumor tissue and matched non-cancerous gastric mucosa. Protein levels of annexin II and S100A6 were up-regulated in gastric cancer compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues. High expression of annexin II correlated with age, location of tumor, size of tumor, differentiation, histological type, depth of invasion, vessel invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and Tumor, Node, Metastasis (TNM) stage, and also with expression of S100A6. Further multivariate analysis suggested that expression of annexin II and S100A6 were independent prognostic indicators for gastric cancer. Cumulative five-year survival rates of patients with high expression of both annexin II and S100A6 was significantly lower than those with low expression of both. CONCLUSION: Expression of annexin II in gastric cancer was significantly associated with depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis, TNM stage, high S100A6 expression, and poor prognosis. Annexin II and S100A6 proteins could be useful prognostic marker to predict tumor progression and prognosis in gastric cancer.