Expression of tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 in gastric stromal tumor and its clinical significance

Objective To study the expression of tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI-2) in gastric stromal tumor and its clinical significance. Methods Expression of TFPI-2 was detected in gastric stromal tumor tissue, its adjacent tissue and normal tissue from 72 patients with gastric stromal tumor by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Results The expression level of TFPI-2 was significantly lower in central tumor tissue than in its adjacent tissue and normal gastric tissue(P< 0.01). The expression level of TFPI-2 in central tumor tissue decreased with the increased NIH classification(P< 0.01). The low expression of TFPI-2 was closely related with the invasion and metastasis of stromal tumor (P< 0.05). Conclusion The expression level of TFPI-2 is significantly higher in normal gastric tissue than in stromal tumor tissue. Low expression of TFPI-2 may be closely related with the invasion and metastasis of stromal tumor.