Purpose: It has been reported that elevated PRL-3 expression was closely associated with lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer. In the present study, we detected the expression of PRL-3 in primary gastric cancer tissue, and evaluated its prognostic impact on the patients.
Methods: Total 137 gastric tumor samples were measured for PRL-3 phosphatase expression using immunohistochemistry method, and the overall survival rate was compared between the patients with high PRL-3 expression (n = 85) and those with moderate or low PRL-3 expression (n = 52) in the primary tumor.
Results: PRL-3 expression was more frequently detected in the tumors with a diameter >40 mm and in advanced stages (TNM stage III or IV). Furthermore, the overall survival rate of the patients with high expression of PRL-3 in the primary tumor was significantly less than those with moderate or low expression (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: PRL-3 expression is associated with gastric cancer progression. Its high expression in the primary lesion had a negative impact on the prognosis of the patients. This strongly suggests that PRL-3 should be considered as a prognostic factor.