Cytoplasmic beta-catenin accumulation as a predictor of hematogenous metastasis in human colorectal cancer.
The membranous, cytoplasmic and nuclear levels of beta-catenin were evaluated immunohistochemically in archival tissue specimens from 96 Japanese patients with primary colorectal carcinoma who had undergone surgery. The relationships between beta-catenin and clinicopathological variables were analyzed statistically. Reduced beta-catenin immunoreactivity in the cell membranes of cancer cells was found in 70% of the tumors, and cytoplasmic and nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin were found in 68 and 66% of tumors, respectively. Significant correlations between cytoplasmic beta-catenin accumulation and the depth of invasion, venous invasion and focal dedifferentiation were observed. Cytoplasmic beta-catenin accumulation was also found to be a useful predictor of hematogenous metastasis (hazard ratio = 8.94, p = 0.054), though neither a reduced cell membrane level nor nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin correlated with metastasis.
Maruyama
K
K
Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Ochiai
A
A
Akimoto
S
S
Nakamura
S
S
Baba
S
S
Moriya
Y
Y
Hirohashi
S
S
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin
C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin