Open AccessTumor MET Expression May Not Predict the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients
Author(s) -
Hamid Sayar,
Jeffrey T. Bunning,
Thèrése Bocklage,
Sang Joon Lee,
Edward N. Libby,
Ian Rabinowitz
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
oncology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1555-3906
pISSN - 0965-0407
DOI - 10.3727/096504010x12828372551786
Subject(s) - medicine , immunohistochemistry , cancer , venous thromboembolism , incidence (geometry) , retrospective cohort study , oncology , pathology , gastroenterology , thrombosis , physics , optics
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurs at an increased incidence in cancer patients. A cancer-related hypercoagulable state has been considered to play role in this phenomenon. Preclinical data suggest an association between tumor expression of MET proto-oncogene (MET) and a hypercoagulable state, resulting in VTE. We investigated this association in this retrospective study. Thirty-five cancer patients with documented VTE and no relevant predisposing factors were compared with 35 matched cancer patients without VTE who served as controls. Pathology specimens of all patients and controls were stained by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for MET protein. Intensity of reactivity to the MET antibody was read as 0 (negative), 1+ (equivocal), and 2+ (positive). The pathologists were blinded to the patient VTE status. The MET reactivity in tissue sections were compared between the two cohorts. No significant difference was observed between the two groups for MET expression. This study's findings indicate no association between the reactivity for MET protein as measured through an immunohistochemical technique, and the incidence of VTE in cancer patients.