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. 2023 Jul 24;19(3):72.
doi: 10.3892/mco.2023.2668. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Prognostic value of translationally controlled tumor protein in colon cancer

Dragomir Svetozarov Stoyanov  1   2 , Nikolay Vladimirov Conev  1   2 , Mariya Ivanova Penkova-Ivanova  1   2 , Ivan Shterev Donev  3
Affiliations

Prognostic value of translationally controlled tumor protein in colon cancer

Dragomir Svetozarov Stoyanov et al. Mol Clin Oncol. .

Abstract

The translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is a highly conserved protein involved in a variety of normal cell functions and disease processes. Preclinical studies revealed that TCTP has anti-apoptotic properties, promotes cell growth and division and is involved in cancer progression by promoting invasion and metastasis. The present study explored the potential value of TCTP as a prognostic marker in colon cancer. A retrospective analysis of 74 patients with colon cancer was performed. Using immunohistochemistry, TCTP levels in the primary tumor were assessed semi-quantitatively by the calculation of cytoplasmic and nuclear H-score. Cytoplasmic TCTP levels in the primary tumor had no statistically significant association with disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the present patient population. Patients whose primary tumors had a negative nuclear TCTP expression had significantly improved clinical outcomes. The PFS for the negative nuclear TCTP expression group was 7.7 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 5.8-9.5] compared with 5.5 months (95% CI, 3.2-7.8) in the group with positive nuclear expression (P=0.023, Mantel-Cox log-rank). Patients with a negative nuclear expression of TCTP had a significantly higher median OS (22.2 months; 95% CI, 16.1-28.3) compared with those with positive TCTP nuclear expression (median 13.2 months; 95% CI, 10.1-16.3; P=0.008, Mantel-Cox log-rank). In a multivariate Cox regression model, a positive nuclear TCTP H-score was an independent risk factor for worse PFS and OS. The 1-year OS rate in the group with negative nuclear TCTP expression was 86.3% compared with 56.5% in patients with positive nuclear TCTP expression (P=0.008). The present study suggested that semiquantitative H-score measurement of TCTP levels in the nuclei of tumor cells from the primary tumor is a potential prognostic marker for clinical outcomes in patients with colon cancer.

Keywords: colon cancer; prognostic marker; survival; translationally controlled tumor protein.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Immunohistochemical staining of TCTP in human colon cancer (magnification, x100). (A) Patient with a low nuclear TCTP expression. (B) Patient with a high nuclear TCTP expression. (C) Adjacent healthy colon tissue. TCTP, translationally controlled tumor protein.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Nuclear TCTP H-score in patients with intermediate and high grade colon cancer. TCTP, translationally controlled tumor protein.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of progression-free survival based on nuclear TCTP levels. TCTP, translationally controlled tumor protein.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of overall survival based on nuclear TCTP levels. TCTP, translationally controlled tumor protein.
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