Clinicopathological features of DLL4-positive group Clinicopathologic features of DLL4-positive gastric cancers were assessed. The DLL4-positive group had a greater depth of tumor invasion (p < 0.01, p < 0.01), more lymph node metastases (p < 0.01, p < 0.05), and significantly more venous (p < 0.05, n.s.) and lymphatic invasion RO4929097 in vivo (p < 0.01, p < 0.01 respectively) in not only the cancer cell but also stroma (Table 1, Table 2). However, there was no SGC-CBP30 chemical structure significant difference in other clinical factors. Table 1 Association between cancerous DLL4 expression and clinical factors in 180 gastric cancer Clinical   (n) DLL4 positive DLL4 negative p value Factors     (n = 88) (n = 92)   Sex Male

128 62 66     Female 52 26 26 n.s. Age     64.2 66.1 n.s. T factor T1 72 11 61     T2 54 41 13     T3 44 28 16 p < 0.01   T4 10 8 2   N factor N0 93 24 69     N+ 87 64 23 p < 0.01 Lymphatic invasion No 78 18 60   Yes 102 70 32 p < 0.01 Venous invasion No 102 31 71   Yes 78 57 21 p < 0.05 Histology Differentiated 98 47 51     Undifferentiated 82 41 41 n.s. Table 2 Association between stromal DLL4 expression and clinical factors in 180 gastric cancer Clinical   (n) DLL4 positive DLL4 negative p value Factors     (n = 41) (n = 139)   Sex Male 128 28 100     Female 52 13 39 n.s. Age     63.1 65.7 n.s. T factor T1 72 6 66     T2 54 14 40     T3 44 17 27 p < 0.01   T4

10 4 6   N factor N0 93 15 79 p < 0.01   N+ 87 26 60   Lymphatic invasion No 78 10 68 p < 0.01 Yes 102 31 71   Venous invasion No 102 14 88   Yes 78 37 51 n.s. Histology Differentiated 98 23 75     Undifferentiated see more 82 18 64 n.s. Prognostic impact of DLL4 positivity in gastric cancer Overall surival of gastric cancer in the absence or presence of DLL4 expression were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. The DLL4-positive cancer group had a significantly mafosfamide poorer survival than the DLL4-negative group (p < 0.01; Figure 6). Moreover, the

DLL4-positive stroma group also had a significantly poorer survival than negative group (p = 0.03; Figure 7). By univariate analysis, tumor depth, nodal involvement, lymphatic invasion, and DLL4 positivity were found to be significant prognostic markers. However, multivariate analysis did not demonstrate DLL4 to be an independent prognostic marker for survival (Table 3). Figure 6 Overall survival of 180 gastric cancer patients according to DLL4 expression in cancer cell. DLL4-positive patients had significantly poorer survival than DLL4-negative patients (p < 0.01). Figure 7 Overall survival of 180 gastric cancer patients according to DLL4 expression in cancer stroma. DLL4-positive patients in cancer stroma had significantly poorer survival than DLL4-negative patients (p = 0.03). Table 3 Univariate and multivariate analysis of survival with clinical factors including DLL4 expression Factors Univariate Multivariate     p value p value hazard ratio 95% CI Cancerous DLL4 <0.01 =0.11     Stromal DLL4 <0.05 =0.