title: Clinical significance of genetic variations in the PI3K/PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway in Korean patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Signaling through the PI3K/PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway is responsible for balancing cell survival and apoptosis. Accordingly, the present study analyzed 14 SNPs of the PI3K/PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway genes and their impact on the prognosis for patients with colorectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  444 consecutive patients with surgically resected colorectal adenocarcinoma were enrolled in the present study. The genomic DNA was extracted from fresh colorectal tissue, and 14 polymorphisms of the PI3K/PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway genes were determined using a real-time PCR genotyping assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pathologic stages after surgery were as follows: stage 0/I (n = 85, 19.1%), stage II (n = 149, 33.6%), stage III (n = 147, 33.1%), and stage IV (n = 63, 14.2%). Univariate and multivariate survival analysis including stage, age, site of disease, adjuvant chemotherapy, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level showed that these polymorphisms were not associated with progression-free or overall survival. For the clinicopathologic parameters, CEA level and TNM stage were significant prognostic factors in a Cox model for survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  None of the 14 SNPs of the PI3K/PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway genes investigated in this study was found to be an independent prognostic marker for Korean patients with surgically resected colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology/Hematology, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Gwang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yee Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: Sang Kyun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Byung Woog
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Joon Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Soo Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seong Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Jun Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jin Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Gyu Seog
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000235:genetics*; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015996:Survival Rate; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; C546842:MTOR protein, human; C494918:AKT1 protein, human; C494929:PTEN protein, human