Prognostic value of mucin 4 expression in colorectal adenocarcinomas.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Mucin 4 (MUC4) is aberrantly expressed in colorectal adenocarcinomas (CRCs) but its prognostic value is unknown.

METHODS:

Archival tissue specimens collected from 132 CRC patients who underwent surgical resection without presurgery or postsurgery therapy were evaluated for expression of MUC4 by using a mouse monoclonal antibody and horseradish peroxidase. MUC4 expression levels were correlated with clinicopathologic features and patient survival. Survival was estimated by both univariate Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression methods.

RESULTS:

In both normal colonic epithelium and CRCs, MUC4 staining was localized primarily in the cytoplasm. The optimal immunostaining cutoff value (>or=75% positive cells and an immunostaining score>or=2.0), which was derived by using the bootstrap method, was used to categorize CRCs into groups of high expression (33 of 132 patients; 25%) or low expression (99 of 132 patients; 75%). Patients who had early stage tumors (stages I and II) with high MUC4 expression had a shorter disease-specific survival (log-rank; P=.007) than patients who had with low expression. Patients who had advanced-stage CRCs (stages III and IV) did not demonstrate such a difference (log-rank; P=.108). Multivariate regression models that were generated separately for patients with early stage and advanced-stage CRC confirmed that increased expression of MUC4 was an independent indicator of a poor prognosis only for patients who had early stage CRCs (hazard ratio, 3.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.46-9.73).

CONCLUSIONS:

The current results indicated that increased MUC4 expression is a predictor of poor survival in CRC, specifically for patients who have early stage tumors.

• Authors: Chandrakumar Shanmugam, Nirag C Jhala, Venkat R Katkoori, Wen Wan, Sreelatha Meleth, William E Grizzle, Upender Manne
• Journal: Cancer (Cancer) Vol. 116 Issue 15 Pg. 3577-86 (Aug 01 2010) ISSN: 0008-543X [Print] United States
• PMID: 20564074 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: Copyright (c) 2010 American Cancer Society.

Chemical References

• Mucin-4

Topics

• Adenocarcinoma (diagnosis, metabolism, mortality, pathology)
• Aged
• Colorectal Neoplasms (diagnosis, metabolism, mortality, pathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Mucin-4
• Prognosis