MORPHOLOGIC PATTERN OF TENASCIN AS A DIAGNOSTIC BIOMARKER IN COLON-CANCER

Background: Immunohistochemical methods were used to study the pattern of expression of tenascin (TN) in invasive colon cancer and its relat ion to prognosis. Methods: Sixty patients (29 males, 31 females) with a mean age of 77 years were studied. TN expression was evaluated by im munohistochemistry using paraffin-embedded tissue sections, TN express ion levels were correlated with patient age, tumor stage, and survival . Results: TN positivity varied from trace to 4+. Staining patterns we re as follows: in well-differentiated cancer, TN fibers form thick ban ds around invading tumor glands. In poorly differentiated cancer, TN f ibers had an interstitial pattern surrounding individual tumor cells. Using Cox's proportional hazard regression method, survival was signif icantly related to TN score (P < 0.0001) and stage of disease (P < 0.0 5). No significant relationship was found between survival and age (P = 0.375). Conclusion: Patients with more TN expression had better long -term survival than patients with no or weak TN expression. Pathologic and clinical entities in colon cancer have distinct immunohistochemic al TN matrix patterns that may correlate with predictive value and lon g-term survival. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.