G. Lindmark, NM-23 H1 IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY IS NOT USEFUL AS PREDICTOR OF METASTATIC POTENTIAL OF COLORECTAL-CANCER, British Journal of Cancer, 74(9), 1996, pp. 1413-1418
This study aimed to investigate whether immunohistochemical staining f
or nm23-H1 protein in the primary tumour is correlated with tumour sta
ge, tumour differentiation, DNA ploidy, cell proliferative index, p53
status and patient survival time in colorectal cancer. Full-cross colo
rectal cancer biopsies were collected from 202 consecutive surgical sp
ecimens between 1987 and 1990. Immunohistochemical expression of nm23-
H1 protein was investigated in cryosections, using a monoclonal anti-n
m23-H1 antibody (clone NM 301). The staining pattern was classified as
follows: strong homogeneous intensity, moderate homogeneous intensity
, moderate focal intensity, or as negative. Immunohistochemical expres
sion of p53 was investigated using a monoclonal anti-p53 antibody (DO-
7). The DNA ploidy and cell proliferative index were determined by dow
cytometry. Possible correlation between nm23-H1 staining patterns and
the other studied tumour characteristics was explored at the end of 1
994. Median survival time of living patients was 66 months, range 50-9
3 months. No correlation was found between various nm23-H1 staining pa
tterns and tumour stage, cell proliferative index or p53 status. Nm23-
H1-negative tumours and tumours with moderate focal staining intensity
were less differentiated than tumours with strong homogeneous or mode
rate homogeneous staining intensity (P<0.05). Of the nm23-H1-negative
tumours, a significantly higher number was near-diploid rather than an
euploid, as compared with those expressing positive nm23-H1 (P<0.05).
The number of dead patients in Dukes' stages B and C did not correlate
significantly with the nm23-H1 staining pattern. The nm23-H1 staining
pattern alone, or combined with either of the other explored tumour c
haracteristics, did not correlate with patient survival time. Immunohi
stochemical studies of the nm23-H1 protein expression are of minor val
ue in the staging and prognostic prediction of colorectal cancer.