Z. Nihei et al., THE POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EXPRESSION OF CD44 VARIANT-6 AND PROGNOSIS IN COLORECTAL-CANCER, SURGERY TODAY-THE JAPANESE JOURNAL OF SURGERY, 26(9), 1996, pp. 760-761
CD44 variant 6 (CD44 v6) is well known as a useful marker of tumor pro
gression; however, its relationship to prognosis has not yet been eluc
idated. Tn this study, we investigated the expression of CD44 v6 in co
lorectal cancer to analyze its relationship to hepatic metastasis as w
ell as to prognosis. Tumor tissues were obtained from 42 patients with
colorectal cancer who under,vent curative resection with follow-up pe
riods ranging from 5.9 to 71.3 months, There were 21 patients (50%),wh
ose tumors were positive for CD44 v6, with no significant difference b
etween colon and rectal cancer, CD44 v6 staining was significantly rel
ated to Dukes' classification as well as to hepatic metastasis. The 5-
year survival rate was significantly higher in patients with CD44 v6 n
egative cancer (84%) than in those with CD44 v6 positive cancer (31%).
Thus, rye concluded that CD44 v6 could be a reliable prognostic indic
ator, as web as a predictor of metastatic potential after curative sur
gery for colorectal cancer.