[575] Nucleolin Expression in Colorectal Adenocarcinomas: Higher Nucleolin Expression Is Associated with Better Survival in Stage III Colorectal Cancers

X Fang, M Taggart, L Corley, H Wang, HM Wang, SR Hamilton, A Rashid. The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Background: Nucleolin is a ubiquitous, nonhistone nuclear phosphoprotein that is present in nucleolus and is involved in the synthesis and maturation of ribosomes. Recent studies have shown that nucleolin is over-expressed in highly proliferative cells and is involved with gene expression. The expression of nucleolin and its significance in colorectal adenocarcinomas have not been studied. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of nucleolin in colorectal adenocarcinomas and correlate with clinicopathological features and patient's survival.
Design: 140 stage II and 80 stage III colorectal adenocarcinomas were retrieved from the files of MD Anderson Cancer Center between 1990 and 1998. A tissue microarray consisting of duplicate 1 mm cores of tumor and paired colorectal mucosa were stained with an anti-nucleolin antibody by immunohistochemistry. The nucleolar staining for nucleolin was scored quantitatively using the Ariol Image Analysis System (Genetix Limited, UK) and expressed as ratio of nucleolar staining per total nuclear area in mucosal epithelial cells and neoplastic glands. The statistical differences between means were analyzed by T-test and survivals by Kaplan and Meier log-rank method.
Results: The expression level of nucleolin was higher in colorectal adenocarcinomas (4.49 6.14) than in paired colorectal mucosa (0.92 1.90, p=0.001). The nucleolin levels were similar in stage II carcinomas (4.50 6.10) and in stage III carcinomas (4.46 6.2, not significant). Among patients who had stage III colorectal carcinoma, the quarterlies of tumors with the highest nucleolin expression (>6.72) had better survival (110.5 52.1 months) than the remaining three quarterlies (83.2 48.4 months, p=0.018).
Conclusions: Nucleolin is over-expressed in colorectal adenocarcinoma. Tumors with the higher quarterlies of nucleolin expression have better survival in stage III colorectal adenocarcinoma. Nucleolin may be a prognostic marker for predicting clinical outcome in stage III colorectal adenocarcinoma.
Category: Gastrointestinal

Monday, March 9, 2009 1:00 PM

Poster Session II # 80, Monday Afternoon