Expression of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein in human gastric carcinoma and its association with tumor aggressiveness, metastasis and poor prognosis

Objective: Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are involved in lipid metabolism by intracellular transport of long-chain fatty acids. Heart-type (H-)FABP has been reported to inhibit cell growth and induce cell differentiation, but to our knowledge the significance of H- FABP expression in human gastric carcinoma has not been elucidated. The aim of the current study was to examine the expression of H- FABP and its relation to clinicopathologic parameters and fatty acid synthase (FAS) status of gastric carcinoma, since gastric cancer shows increased expression of FAS. Methods: Immunohistochemistry with anti-H-FABP antibody was performed in 669 gastric carcinomas and 60 tubular adenomas of the stomach. H-FABP-positive and H-FABP-negative carcinomas were analyzed for their clinicopathologic characteristics and FAS status. Results: None of the adenomas expressed H-FABP, whereas 127 of 669 carcinomas (19.0%) were positive for the protein. H-FABP positivity was associated with the depth of invasion (p < 0.0001), vascular invasion (p < 0.0001), lymph node metastasis (p