Expression of protein S100A4 is a predictor of recurrence in colorectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prognostic significance of S100A4 expression in colorectal cancer and its correlation with expression of E-cadherin and p53.


METHODS
A cohort of archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens was selected from 127 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent surgical resection between April 2000 and March 2004 at the Department of Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital. The expression of protein S100A4 was evaluated according to the proportion of positively stained cancer cells. In each case, three core biopsies with a diameter of 2 mm were punched out and positioned in a recipient paraffin array block. Four-microm sections of these tissue array blocks were used for immunohistochemical analysis of protein S100A4, E-cadherin, and p53. Clinicopathological data were based on the original histopathologic reports and clinical records of patients.


RESULTS
In normal colorectal mucosa, protein S100A4 immunoreactivity was clearly absent in both cytoplasm and nucleus. However, positive immunoreactivity of protein S100A4 was detected in 45 (35.4%) of the tumor cases. There was no significant association between positive immunoreactivity of protein S100A4 and clinicopathological parameters such as tumor differentiation or TNM stage, and also no correlation between the reactivity and E-cadherin or p53 expression. However, positive immunoreactivity of protein S100A4 was found to be associated with tumor recurrence (P = 0.004), and was also associated with significantly worse overall survival in the Kaplan-Meyer survival analysis (P = 0.044). After adjustment for tumor differentiation, tumor depth and nodal status, however, it failed to achieve statistical significance (P = 0.067).


CONCLUSIONS
The expression of protein S100A4 is associated with tumor recurrence and poor overall survival in patients with colorectal cancer.
Kwak
Jung-Myun
JM
Department of Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, 80 Guro-Dong, Guro-Gu, Seoul, South Korea.
Lee
Hyun-Joo
HJ
Kim
Seon-Hahn
SH
Kim
Han-Kyeom
HK
Mok
Young-Jae
YJ
Park
Young-Tae
YT
Choi
Jong-Sang
JS
Moon
Hong-Young
HY
D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001706:Biopsy; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000071999:S100 Calcium-Binding Protein A4; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D013997:Time Factors; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis
D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C513384:CDH1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D000071999:S100 Calcium-Binding Protein A4; D009418:S100 Proteins; C495901:TP53 protein, human; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; C077591:S100A4 protein, human