Results

The entire database incorporates 1,065 gastric carcinoma samples, gene expression data. Out of 29 established markers, higher expression of BECN1 (HR= 0.68, p= 1.5 E-05), CASP3 (HR= 0.5, p= 6E-14), COX2 (HR= 0.72, p= 0.0013), CTGF (HR= 0.72, p= 0.00051), CTNNB1 (HR= 0.47, p= 4.3 E-15), MET (HR= 0.63, p= 1.3 E-05), and SIRT1 (HR= 0.64, p= 2.2 E-07) correlated to longer OS. Higher expression of BIRC5 (HR= 1.45, p= 1E-04), CNTN1 (HR= 1.44, p= 3.5 E-05), EGFR (HR= 1.86, p= 8.5 E-11), ERCC1 (HR= 1.36, p= 0.0012), HER2 (HR= 1.41, p= 0.00011), MMP2 (HR= 1.78, p= 2.6 E-09), PFKB4 (HR= 1.56, p= 3.2 E-07), SPHK1 (HR= 1.61, p= 3.1 E-06), SP1 (HR= 1.45, p= 1.6 E-05), TIMP1 (HR= 1.92, p= 2.2 E-10) and VEGF (HR= 1.53, p= 5.7 E-06) were predictive for poor OS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We integrated samples of three major cancer research centers (Berlin, Bethesda and Melbourne datasets) and publicly available datasets with available follow-up data to form a single integrated database. Subsequently, we performed a literature search for prognostic markers in gastric carcinomas (PubMed, 2012–2015) and re-validated their findings predicting first progression (FP) and overall survival (OS) using uni-and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.

Conclusions

The major advantage of our analysis is that we evaluated all genes in the same set of patients thereby making direct comparison of the markers feasible. The best performing genes include BIRC5, CASP3, CTNNB1, TIMP-1, MMP-2, SIRT, and VEGF.