title: Expressional STAT3/STAT5 Ratio is an Independent Prognostic Marker in Colon Carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins (STATs) are crucial regulators of cell growth and differentiation; however, their specific prognostic impact in human colon cancer has only been studied to limited extent. We aimed to assess the prognostic significance of specific STAT expression patterns in colon carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Protein expression patterns of activated STAT1, STAT3, STAT4, and STAT5 in human colon carcinoma tissue and corresponding healthy mucosa (n = 104) were assessed using multiplex bead-based immunoassay technologies. Expression patterns were correlated with clinical and survival data. Immunohistochemistry was performed to assess spatial expression of STAT3 and STAT5.
  
  
  RESULTS
  STAT3 was underexpressed whereas STAT4 and STAT5 were overexpressed in colon carcinoma tissue. Primary tumors from patients with distant metastases (M1) displayed significantly increased expression of STAT1 and STAT3 but decreased expression of STAT4 and STAT5. Increased tumor expression of STAT1 or STAT3 was associated with impaired patient survival, whereas increased expression of STAT4 or STAT5 correlated with improved survival. Multivariate analysis identified an increased STAT3/STAT5 expressional ratio as an adverse prognostic marker in colon cancer patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tumor progression-associated transcription factors STAT3, STAT4, and STAT5 are differently expressed in colon carcinoma tissue and colon mucosa. Moreover, the STAT3/STAT5 expression ratio is an independent prognostic marker in colon cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Fee
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Klupp
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diers
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kahlert
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.affiliation: National Center for Tumor Diseases, Medical Oncology, and Internal Medicine VI, Tissue Imaging and Analysis Center, Bioquant, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Halama
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.|Tissue Bank of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lasitschka
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Warth
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery, University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery, University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. m.schneider@uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ulrich
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D050799:STAT5 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015996:Survival Rate; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494086:STAT3 protein, human; D050799:STAT5 Transcription Factor; C494092:STAT5A protein, human; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins