Expression of CD44 and its variant isoform v3 has no prognostic value in gastric cancer.

Aims: To study the controversial role of transmembrane glycoprotein CD44 as a moderator of tumour spread and as a prognostic factor in gastric cancer. Methods and results: The expression of all CD44 forms and that with exon v3 was assessed in 198 stage I-IV gastric adenocarcinomas using immunohistochemistry. CD44 expression was found in 72% and CD44v 3 in 55% of the cases. The intensity of CD44 expression was associated with the level of invasion and with hyaluronan expression, while the frequency of CD44 positive cells was not significantly related to any of the clinical or histological features of the tumours. CD44v3 expression failed to show any association with the clinical or histological variables examined. Neither total CD44 nor CD44v 3 expression affected survival. The most important prognostic factors in this cohort were the level of invasion, lymph node status, tumour size and vascular or perineural invasion. Conclusions: Changes in CD44 or CD44v 3 expression level do not predict tumour spread or patient survival in gastric cancer.