Nuclear beta-catenin accumulation as a prognostic factor in Dukes' D human colorectal cancers.
Beta-catenin is well recognized to play a crucial role as a transcriptional factor during the early step of colorectal carcinogenesis. Some reports concerning the clinical implications of cytoplasmic and/or nuclear beta-catenin accumulation are available, though their results vary. On the other hand, the clinical implication of nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin in Dukes' D colorectal cancers (with distant metastasis) has not been investigated. To assess its value as a prognostic marker in this stage, we selected the cases with synchronous liver metastasis. Thirty-eight surgically resected primary and corresponding metastatic liver tumors were examined immunohistochemically and the relationships between nuclear beta-catenin accumulation and clinicopathological variables were analyzed. Of the 38 primary colorectal cancers analyzed, 11 (29%) showed nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin with cytoplasmic staining. Nuclear accumulation positivity was more frequently associated with lymph node metastasis than being negative [100% (11/11) vs. 67% (18/27), p=0.04]. There was a significant difference in median survival time between the nuclear beta-catenin positive group (1130 days) and the negative group (2102 days: p=0.037). Interestingly, all of the patients (9/9) in the former group had died when the recurrence was in the liver, while 42% (8/19) in the latter group had survived even if the recurrence was in the liver (p=0.03). In conclusion, though these results were obtained in a small series of patients, nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin may be a useful prognostic marker even in Dukes' D colorectal cancers.
Miyamoto
Shin'ichi
S
Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute East, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan.
Endoh
Yasushi
Y
Hasebe
Takahiro
T
Ishii
Genichiro
G
Kodama
Keiji
K
Goya
Masato
M
Ono
Masato
M
Saitoh
Norio
N
Chiba
Tsutomu
T
Ochiai
Atsushi
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012008:Recurrence; D013997:Time Factors; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D051176:beta Catenin
C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin