Overexpression of clusterin was detected in 69/90 (77%) of primary GC tissues and significantly associated with T stage, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage.
CLU expression is related to the cellular type and inversely correlated with the presence of lymph node metastases, which could represent a new positive prognostic factor.
In CLU, the minor allele carriers of rs9331888 were more likely to have tumours with regional lymph node metastasis and stages II-IV than the major homozygotes.
Administration of AS clusterin ODN and Ad5CMV-p53 into nude mice resulted in a significant inhibition of KoTCC-1 tumor growth as well as lymph node metastases compared to administration of either agent alone.
In vivo administration of antisense clusterin oligodeoxynucleotide and Ad5CMV-p53 resulted in a significant inhibition of s.c. PC3 tumor growth as well as lymph node metastases from orthotopic PC3 tumors compared with administration of either agent alone.
Furthermore, after the orthotopic implantation of KoTCC-1 cells, combined treatment with AS clusterin and cisplatin significantly inhibited the growth of primary KoTCC-1 tumors, as well as the incidence of lymph node metastasis.
Ten of 15 (67%) primary carcinomas without clusterin expression became positive in lymph node metastases, while most (22 of 25, 88%) of the clusterin-positive primary carcinomas were also immunoreactive in metastases.