TFF3 and HER2 expression and their correlation with survival in gastric cancer

The molecular biomarkers human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) and trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) are reported to play important roles in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we investigated the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of TFF3 and HER2 expression in GC and explored the correlation between these two biomarkers. Ninety-two patients who were diagnosed with GC were enrolled. TFF3 and HER2 expression was determined on tumor tissues. The results showed that TFF3 and HER2 were positively expressed in 42.7 and 10.9 % of the cases, respectively. There were significantly higher rates of TFF3 positivity in patients with deep invasive tumors and advanced stage ones. Patients with negative TFF3 staining survived longer than those with the presence of TFF3, with 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of 57.1 ± 7.1 and 39.5 ± 7.5 %, respectively (P = 0.033). However, HER2 positivity was not significantly associated with OS (P = 0.262). Multivariate analysis demonstrated TFF3 expression to be an independent indicator for short-term survival, with a hazard ratio of 2.327 (95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.202–4.507, P = 0.012). There was a trend that the expression of TFF3 was more frequent in HER2 negative tumors than in HER2 positive ones (positive rates: 16.3 vs. 4.7 %, P = 0.098). Patients with HER2-negative/TFF3-negative GC presented higher OS than those with other phenotypes (P = 0.009). This study suggests that TFF3 is an independent indicator for survival in GC, while HER2 is not associated with the outcome. Patients with HER2-negative/TFF3-negative GC have the best outcome.