Level of α-catenin expression in colorectal cancer correlates with invasiveness, metastatic potential, and survival
✍ Scribed by Raftopoulos, Ioannis; Davaris, Panagiotis; Karatzas, Gabriel; Karayannacos, Panagiotis; Kouraklis, Gregory
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 369 KB
- Volume
- 68
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-4790
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✦ Synopsis
Background and Objectives: Decreased expression of the E-cadherin/␣catenin cell-cell adhesion complex is considered to elicit detachment of tumor cells from primary lesions and development of metastases. The immunohistochemical profile of ␣-catenin in colorectal cancer, as well as its correlation with differentiation, lymph node/liver metastasis and patient survival is presented in this study. Methods: ␣-Catenin expression was investigated with immunohistochemistry technique, in 85 paraffin-embedded and 21 fresh frozen specimens, including 82 colon adenocarcinomas, 10 adenomas, 10 lymph nodes, and 3 liver metastases. Preserved ␣-catenin expression was considered for those tumors that demonstrated more than 90% ␣-catenin(+) cancer cells and reduced ␣-catenin expression for those tumors with less than 90% ␣-catenin(+) cancer cells. The 2 -test was used to calculate the statistical correlation of ␣-catenin expression with grade of differentiation and metastatic potential and the log-rank test for the correlation with survival rate. Results: Normal mucosa, as well as 8/10 of the colon adenomas, showed strong membranous ␣-catenin expression. Reduced ␣-catenin expression was found in 32/82 (39%) colorectal cancers examined, which was associated with de-differentiation (P < 0.01), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.025), and poor clinical outcome (P < 0.012). ␣-Catenin expression was preserved in 3 liver metastases and their corresponding primary tumors. By contrast, 6/10 of lymphogenous metastases showed decreased ␣catenin expression. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate a significant down-regulation of ␣-catenin expression in colorectal cancer which is associated with poor differentiation, higher metastatic potential and unfavorable prognosis. These preliminary results suggest that ␣-catenin may be a useful marker of invasiveness, metastatic potential, and survival in colorectal cancer patients.