Evaluation of Amphiregulin and Epiregulin mRNA Expressions as Prognostic Biomarkers for Patients With Stage III Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Background: Amphiregulin (AREG) and epiregulin (EREG), which are ligands of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), are associated with the prognosis of patients with unresectable colorectal cancer (CRC). The objective of this study was to determine whether the expressions of these genes are useful as prognostic markers for stage III CRC patients who received curative surgery. Methods: From 2007 to 2014, consecutive CRC patients (stage III and IV who underwent primary tumor resection in our institute were analyzed. AREG and EREG mRNA expressions in surgically resected specimen were analyzed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: AREG and EREG expressions tended to be higher in stage IV patients than stage III patients. Among stage III patients, there were no significant differences in disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS) between patients with high AREG or EREG expression and low expression. In stage IV patients, those with high AREG or EREG expression tended to have better OS than those with low expression. Conclusion: We found no association between AREG and EREG expression and prognosis in stage III CRC. Our data may suggest that the role of the EGFR pathway in tumor cell growth is mainly in advanced phase but not in the early phase.

Keywords

• amphiregulin (areg)
• epiregulin (ereg)
• colorectal cancer
• resectable
• stage iii