title: Apoptosis in relation to proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Dukes' stage in colorectal adenocarcinoma.
abstract: Colorectal cancer is a disease that is associated with default in the balance of apoptotic regulation. In the present study apoptosis was examined in 158 colorectal adenocarcinomas using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. The median apoptotic index (AI) was 0.95% (range 0-6. 68%). Eighty-two tumours exhibited AI </=0.95% and 76 tumours showed AI >0.95%. We revealed a positive correlation between apoptosis and proliferation determined as the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA, p=0.002). The frequency of apoptosis increased from Dukes' stage A, B, C to D (p=0.01). No correlations were found between apoptosis and the patients' sex, age, tumour location, growth pattern, differentiation, prognosis, bcl-2, p53 or K-ras. Our findings suggest that we should further investigate the relationship between apoptosis and cellular proliferative activity in colorectal cancer to evaluate whether this might provide additional information in the selection of patients for effective adjuvant therapy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology, Department of Biomedicine and Surgery, Linkoping University, S-581 85 Linkoping, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Evertsson
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bartik
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jansson
authors.forename: X F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002455:Cell Division; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D019254:Genes, bcl-2; D016158:Genes, p53; D011905:Genes, ras; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen