Department of Morpho-Functional Sciences I—Morphopathology, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Strada Universității 16, 700115 Iași, Romania
Delia Gabriela Apostol Ciobanu
Department of Morpho-Functional Sciences I—Morphopathology, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Strada Universității 16, 700115 Iași, Romania
Simona Eliza Giușcă
Department of Morpho-Functional Sciences I—Morphopathology, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Strada Universității 16, 700115 Iași, Romania
Dan Ferariu
Department of Pathology, Regional Institute of Oncology, Str. General Henri Mathias Berthelot 2-4, 700483 Iași, Romania
Iulia Cătălina Pleşca
Science Research Department, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, Strada Lascăr Catargi 54, 700107 Iași, Romania
Irina Draga Căruntu
Department of Morpho-Functional Sciences I—Histology, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Strada Universității 16, 700115 Iași, Romania
Background: Ghrelin is the orexigenic hormone secreted mainly by the stomach. Its involvement in neoplastic development has been studied in gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas. Our paper aims to evaluate the influence of the ghrelin axis in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Materials and Methods: The study design included two groups of patients, 46 with gastric GISTs and 30 with obesity. Archived tissue samples were evaluated for the presence of gastritis and H. pylori. Immunohistochemical expression of ghrelin and its receptor (GHS-R) was assessed. Results: All GISTs showed absent immunohistochemical expression for ghrelin, while GHS-R displayed a particular pattern, with notable differences in intensity (p = 0.0256) and percentage of stained cells (p p < 0.001). Conclusion: The ghrelin axis can influence GISTs carcinogenesis through activation of GHS-R. A previously described direct autocrine/paracrine mechanism is not supported by our findings.
