Search

Background/aim: Y-Box-binding protein-1 (YB-1), a DNA/RNA-binding protein, is an important oncogenic transcription and translation factor. We aimed to evaluate the relationships between nuclear YB-1 expression, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status, and poor clinical outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC)., Materials and Methods: Nuclear YB-1 expression was immunohistochemically analyzed in CRC tissues obtained from 124 patients who underwent curative resection between 2005 and 2008. Correlations between nuclear YB-1 expression, various clinicopathological characteristics, EGFR status, and prognostic factors were evaluated., Results: High-grade nuclear YB-1 expression was detected in 62.9% of cases and was found to be an independent predictor of poorer overall survival (p<0.001) and relapse-free survival (p<0.001). A trend was also observed towards a positive correlation between nuclear YB-1 expression and EGFR status (p=0.051)., Conclusion: Nuclear YB-1 expression is a useful prognostic biomarker that correlates with EGFR status in patients with CRC., (Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)

Background: Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC). Wnt has many sub-types and it is uncertain which of them affect progression of CRC., Patients and Methods: We analysed 201 patients who underwent curative surgery for CRC. We investigated the relationship between the expression of Wnt and β-catenin proteins and prognosis using immunohistochemistry., Results: The high expression of Wnt1 correlated with high expression of nuclear and cytoplasmic β-catenin (p=0.0004, p=0.02). The high expression of Wnt5a also correlated with high expression of membrane β-catenin (p=0.03). In multivariate analysis, lymph node metastasis (p=0.046) and high expression of nuclear β-catenin (p=0.04) were independent prognostic factors for survival., Conclusion: The expression of nuclear β-catenin is a useful predictive marker in CRC. It is suggested that Wnt1 may be the main activator of the β-catenin signaling pathway and that Wnt5a may stabilize adherens junctions, thereby suppressing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition., (Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)

Background: It has been hypothesized that minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins, which are replicative control factors, can be used to detect tumor proliferation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of MCM in colorectal cancer tissues and correlate it to clinical outcomes., Patients and Methods: The study included 145 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent curative surgery, from January 2002 until December 2004, at the Kurume University Hospital in Fukuoka, Japan. The median follow-up duration was 87 months. The expression of MCM7 in tissues was studied by immuno-histochemical staining. The labeling index (LI) of MCM7 was calculated by dividing the number of positively-stained cells by the total number of cells counted. We divided samples into two groups: positive (MCM7 LI 76% or higher) and negative (MCM7 LI less than 76%)., Results: In patients with Dukes A and B, there were no significant differences in either overall survival (OS) or recurrence-free survival (RFS) between patents with MCM7-positive and those with MCM7-negative disease. On the other hand, in patients with Dukes C, there was significantly worse OS and RFS for patients with MCM7-positive compared to those with MCM7-negative disease., Conclusion: We found that the expression of MCM7 is an independent risk factor for RFS in patients with Dukes C colorectal cancer. Further studies are required to investigate the validity of MCM7 protein expression for its potential clinical use in colorectal cancer therapy and prognosis., (Copyright© 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)

Metastatic recurrence of colon cancer in the left supraclavicular lymph node (Virchow lymph node) is rare, and to date there are no reports on radiotherapy as treatment. We report on a case of metastatic recurrence of sigmoid colon cancer in the Virchow lymph node with severe lymph node metastases successfully treated with a combined modality therapy of systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The case is of a 58-year-old man, who underwent sigmoid excision and lymph node excision, and subsequently received systemic chemotherapy. After left supraclavicular lymph node recurrence appeared he later received radiotherapy. Complete response was achieved, and there has been no further recurrence, to date, 10 months after the radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was effective as a local treatment, and local control of distant metastasis of colonic cancer may lead to a good prognosis.