title: Protein kinase C-beta II (PKC-beta II) expression in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Current development of targeted agents for the treatment of colorectal cancer include the clinical evaluation of kinase inhibitors, such as enzastaurin, a serine/threonine kinase inhibitor designed to suppress signaling through Protein Kinase C (PKC) and AKT pathways. Little is known about the expression of PKC-beta in colorectal cancer or the prognostic value in colorectal cancer, which was the focus of the present study.
  
  
  METHODS
  PKC-beta II protein expression was examined in 99 primary colorectal adenocarcinomas and 33 corresponding regional lymph node metastases by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The PKC-beta II immunoreactivity was mutually compared and correlated with survival information of all examined patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemical expression of PKC-beta II was detected in 18/99 carcinomas (18.2%). There was no correlation between PKC-beta II staining and traditional clinicopathological parameters. However the median survival was 2.2 years in PKC-beta II expressing tumors compared to 5.4 in PKC-beta II negative tumors (p = 0.25), with a trend for association to poor prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We here describe for the first time the immunohistochemical detection of PKC-beta II in patients with colorectal cancer and show a trend associating with poor survival. The role of PKC-beta II staining in colorectal tumors deserves further evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Danish Colorectal Cancer Group South, Vejle Hospital, 7100, Vejle, Denmark. Karen-lise.garm.spindler@vgs.regionsyddanmark.dk
authors.forename: Karen-Lise Garm
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Spindler
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lindebjerg
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lahn
authors.forename: Sanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kjaer-Frifeldt
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jakobsen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism*; D064546:Protein Kinase C beta; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D011493:Protein Kinase C; D064546:Protein Kinase C beta