Down-regulation of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) expression in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma: Their relationship with clinicopathological parameters and prognostic significance.

Summary Objective C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) is a multi-functional protein involved in the apoptosis pathway of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and is related to cancer progression. The purpose of this study was to assess CHOP expression as a prognostic biomarker in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA). Methods The levels of CHOP mRNA and protein in GCA and matched adjacent non-cancerous tissues were evaluated by quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot. Furthermore, the CHOP protein expression and localization were examined by immunohistochemistry in GCA and corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues, gastritis and normal cardiac tissues. The association of CHOP expression with clinical pathological parameters and prognosis of GCA patients was statistically analyzed. Results Compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues, the CHOP was down-regulated at mRNA and protein levels in GCA ( P P P Conclusions Our results suggest that low CHOP expression predicts poor prognosis of GCA patients, and CHOP may be potentially a prognostic biomarker for GCA.