Zaporožskij Medicinskij Žurnal (Oct 2020)
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in сolorectal adenocarcinoma progression
Abstract
Aim – to analyze immunohistochemical expression levels of epithelial and mesenchymal phenotype markers in colorectal adenocarcinoma on I–IV stages (pTNM). Materials and methods. Pathohistological and immunohistochemical studies of surgical material from 30 patients that had undergone surgical treatment of colorectal adenocarcinoma (I–IV stages) were carried out. Results. Colorectal adenocarcinoma is characterized by the low E-cadherin expression level is 45.94 (32.04; 58.26) CUOD. A statistically significant decrease in the marker expression level in sequence from stages I to IV was revealed. Carcinoma is characterized by the medium CK-20 expression level is 54.28 (41.55; 70.27) CUOD. A statistically significant decrease in the marker expression level in the studied sequence was revealed as well. Furthermore, CK-20 expression is revealed not only in cancer cells clusters, but also in cells which are located separately in tumor stroma. Colorectal adenocarcinoma is characterized by the medium vimentin expression level in the stroma is 95.23 (80.22; 110.21) CUOD. A statistically significant increase in the marker expression level in sequence from stages I to IV was revealed. Besides, there is a tendency to vimentin-immunopositive cells accumulation near cancer cells clusters. Carcinoma is characterized by the medium α-SMA expression level: the median of its expression is 75.71 (60.22; 90.34) CUOD. There is also a tendency to α-SMA-immunopositive cells accumulation near cancer cells clusters. Correlation analysis revealed direct connections between E-cadherin and CK-20 expression levels (r = 0.74, P ˂ 0.05), vimentin and α-SMA expression levels (r = 0.53, P ˂ 0.05). Moreover, reverse connections between E-cadherin and vimentin expression levels (r = -0.43, P ˂ 0.05), E-cadherin and α-SMA expression levels (r = -0.53, P ˂ 0.05), CK-20 and vimentin expression levels (r = -0.65, P ˂ 0.05), CK-20 and α-SMA expression levels (r = -0.69, P ˂ 0.05) were revealed. Conclusions. Parallel loss of epithelial phenotype and an increase of mesenchymal phenotype cells number occur during colorectal adenocarcinoma progression from stages I to IV (pTNM).
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