Search

Introduction: L: -plastin, an actin-binding protein, is upregulated in many tumours, including colorectal carcinoma. This study evaluated the expression of L: -plastin in plasma and colorectal tumour tissue and analysed the correlation between clinicopathological staging and prognosis.Materials and Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect L: -plastin in the plasma of 120 colorectal carcinoma patients and 40 control subjects. Immunohistochemistry analyses were also used.Results: The rate of positive L: -plastin expression was significantly higher in colorectal carcinoma patients than in control subjects, and was significantly higher in tumour tissues than in the tissues surrounding the tumour. L: -Plastin expression also is correlated with tumour grade and size, and lymph node metastasis. However, there was no correlation with the extent of tumour invasion or distant metastasis.Conclusion: L: -Plastin may be a useful marker for screening colorectal carcinoma and determining the prognosis of patients with colorectal carcinoma, and for genetic therapy and targeted therapy of colorectal carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study was designed to specifically investigate the clinicopathological role of expression of cortactin, as well as the correlation with clinical outcomes in stages II-III colorectal cancer (CRC).Methods: Two hundred and five stages II-III CRC patients were included in this study. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens were stained for cortactin and the correlation between the staining, its clinicopathological parameters, and its prognostic power were analyzed statistically.Results: Of the 205 patients studied, 113 cases (55.1%) were strongly positive for cortactin. Cortactin expression correlated with tumor invasion (P = 0.018), histological grade (P = 0.004), and preoperative CEA level (P < 0.001). In univariate analysis, tumor invasion, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, lymphovascular invasion, preoperative CEA level, and cortactin expression were significant prognostic factors for disease-free survival (P = 0.034, 0.009, 0.043, 0.004, and 0.004, respectively), while for overall survival, tumor invasion, AJCC stage, pathologic grade, preoperative CEA level, and cortactin expression were significant prognostic factors (P = 0.003, 0.008, 0.038, 0.017, and <0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, tumor invasion, preoperative CEA level, and cortactin expression maintained their independent prognostic influence on disease-free survival (P = <0.001, 0.003, and 0.008, respectively). However, tumor invasion, AJCC stage, and cortactin expression influenced overall survival (P = 0.036, <0.001, and 0.004, respectively).Conclusions: Cortactin may be a good biomarker to be applied in the clinical setting to predict the prognosis of patients with completely resected pathologic stages II-III CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]