Background Gastric cancer represents a significant health burden in Egypt, with an increasing incidence in recent years. Human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) molecules are widely distributed on the surface of nucleated human cells and are involved in the processing and presentation of endogenous antigenic peptides. In contrast, HLA class II (HLA-II) molecules are predominantly expressed on antigen-presenting cells and activated T cells, where they present exogenous antigens. The expression of HLA molecules has been implicated in tumor development and progression, with evidence suggesting that they regulate tumor cell proliferation and modulate antitumor immunity. Aim This study aimed to evaluate the role of HLA-I and HLA-II expression in gastric carcinoma. Patients and methods A retrospective study was conducted on gastric carcinoma tissues from 64 patients, along with 32 corresponding adjacent nontumorous tissues. Additionally, 65 gastric tissue samples from patients with chronic gastritis were included. Immunohistochemical expression of HLA-I and HLA-II was evaluated in both gastric epithelium and cancer cells. Results HLA-I expression was significantly reduced in gastric carcinoma tissues compared with the chronic gastritis group ( P =0.005*). Negative HLA-I expression in tumor cells was associated with poor prognostic histological features. Conversely, positive HLA-II expression in tumor cells was linked to poor prognostic histological parameters. Conclusion Both HLA-I and HLA-II appear to play a role in the pathogenesis of gastric carcinoma among Egyptian patients. These findings may pave the way for future research and novel therapeutic approaches.
Talab et al. (Tue,) studied this question.