Epithelial syndecan-1 expression is associated with stage and grade in colorectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Loss of epithelial heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-1 has been associated with a more aggressive behavior in various cancer forms, but the prognostic significance of syndecan-1 expression in colorectal cancer is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of immunohistochemical syndecan-1 expression in a series of 237 patients with colorectal cancer.


METHODS
Paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed specimens were stained with a syndecan-1-specific monoclonal antibody, and both the epithelial and stromal expression were analyzed.


RESULTS
Epithelial expression of syndecan-1 was seen in 222 tumors (94%), and it was associated with low stage of disease (p = 0.002) and low histological differentiation grade (p = 0.048). The cumulative 5-year survival of patients with weak and strong syndecan-1 expression was 49 and 54 %, respectively (p = 0.234). Syndecan-1 stromal immunoreactivity was observed in 138 tumors (58%), but lacked prognostic significance. Staining pattern and distribution can be viewed from digitized representative microscope slides (virtual slides) at http://www.webmicroscope.net/supplements/syndecan.


CONCLUSIONS
The results are in line with previous reports in that low epithelial syndecan-1 expression was associated with a higher histological grade and a more advanced clinical stage of the patients. This study shows that syndecan-1 is expressed also in stromal tissue of colorectal cancer, but it does not support the proposed role of stromal syndecan-1 expression as a marker of poor clinical outcome.
Lundin
M
M
Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Nordling
S
S
Lundin
J
J
Isola
J
J
Wiksten
J-P
JP
Haglund
C
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D053668:Syndecan-1; D053667:Syndecans
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011509:Proteoglycans; C508241:SDC1 protein, human; D053668:Syndecan-1; D053667:Syndecans