CD133 expression is correlated with chemoresistance and early recurrence of gastric cancer

Background CD133 has been suggested to be a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker in various types of cancers. The present study assessed the relationship between CD133 expression and clinicopathological features of gastric cancer. In addition, the prognostic value of CD133 for gastric cancer was evaluated. Methods In total, 100 advanced gastric cancer patients who received curative gastrectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy were included. CD133 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry and clinicopathological results, including survival, were analyzed. Results CD133 was expressed in 23% of advanced gastric cancer patients (23/100). CD133 expression was significantly associated with serosal exposure (P?=?0.036), venous invasion (P?=?0.047), well and moderate differentiation (P?=?0.002), and intestinal-type Lauren classification (P?=?0.001). CD133-positive patients had a significantly worse 5-year disease-free (28.1% vs. 65.8%, P?=?0.002) and overall (47.5% vs. 74.0%, P?=?0.037) survival rate than those who were CD133-negative. A multivariate analysis suggested that CD133 expression significantly affected the 5-year disease-free and overall survival. Conclusions CD133 may play an important role in chemoresistance and recurrence, thus representing a promising predictive marker for the prognosis of gastric cancer. J. Surg. Oncol. 2012; 106: 9991004. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.