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. 2012 Sep 7;18(33):4549-56.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i33.4549.

Lack of CD44 variant 6 expression in rectal cancer invasive front associates with early recurrence

Suvi Tuulia Avoranta  1 , Eija Annika Korkeila, Kari Juhani Syrjänen, Seppo Olavi Pyrhönen, Jari Toivo Tapio Sundström
Affiliations

Lack of CD44 variant 6 expression in rectal cancer invasive front associates with early recurrence

Suvi Tuulia Avoranta et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the prognostic value of CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6), a membranous adhesion molecule, in rectal cancer.

Methods: Altogether, 210 rectal cancer samples from 214 patients treated with short-course radiotherapy (RT, n = 90), long-course (chemo) RT (n = 53) or surgery alone (n = 71) were studied with immunohistochemistry for CD44v6. The extent and intensity of membranous and cytoplasmic CD44v6 staining, and the intratumoral membranous staining pattern, were analyzed.

Results: Membranous CD44v6 expression was seen in 84% and cytoplasmic expression in 81% of the cases. In 59% of the tumors with membranous CD44v6 expression, the staining pattern in the invasive front was determined as "front-positive" and in 41% as "front-negative". The latter pattern was associated with narrower circumferential margin (P = 0.01), infiltrative growth pattern (P < 0.001), and shorter disease-free survival in univariate survival analysis (P = 0.022) when compared to the "front-positive" tumors.

Conclusion: The lack of membranous CD44v6 in the rectal cancer invasive front could be used as a method to identify patients at increased risk for recurrent disease.

Keywords: CD44 variant 6; Disease-free survival; Disease-specific survival; Invasive front; Rectal cancer.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The immunohistochemistry for CD44 variant 6 and Pan-cytokeratin. A: The same tumor with “front-positive” membranous staining of CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6); B: Expanding growth pattern as shown with Pan-cytokeratin (Ck-Pan) staining; C: The same tumor with “front-negative” membranous staining of CD44v6; D: Infiltrating growth pattern as shown with Ck-Pan staining. Invasive front is indicated with arrows.
Figure 2
Figure 2
CD44 variant 6 related to disease-free and disease-specific survival in univariate analysis. Disease-free survival (A) and disease-specific survival (B) according to “front-positive” and “front-negative” membranous staining pattern of CD44 variant 6.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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