title: Nuclear beta-catenin expression at the invasive front and in the vessels predicts liver metastasis in colorectal carcinoma.
abstract: Beta-catenin is a component of the Wingless/Wnt signaling pathway and can activate target genes associated with proliferation and invasion, linking with the APC gene. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether nuclear expression of beta-catenin in cells at the invasive front or in the vessels was associated with liver metastasis in human colon cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighteen patients with colorectal carcinoma who underwent surgical resection (45 patients with liver metastasis and 73 patients without liver metastasis at least 5 years after surgery) were included in the study. Proliferative activity was determined in several areas (tumor center, invasive front and in the vessels) by immunohistochemistry and whether it was correlated with liver metastasis was examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 73.1% of primary tumors, positive staining for beta-catenin was detected in the membranes at the tumor center and in the nuclei at the invasive front. In 32 patients (26.9% of all cases), beta-catenin was expressed exclusively in the nuclei of the carcinoma cells throughout the tumors. Significant differences in expression of nuclear beta-catenin in the primary tumors were detected between the liver metastasis and non-liver metastasis groups at the tumor center (p=0.004), invasive front (p=0.021) and in the vessels (p<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin in cellular cells at the invasive front and in the vessels was the most powerful predictor of liver metastasis in colorectal cancer. This may be an important marker in the selection of patients for adjuvant therapy or other treatment modalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgical Science (Surgery I), Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan. hidesu@med.gunma-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimura
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asao
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuwano
mesh_terms: D015820:Cadherins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051178:alpha Catenin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin