Expression of nm23-h1 in colorectal cancer: No association with metastases, histological stage, or survival

The correlations of nm23-H1 expression in primary cancer lesions with the a lready confirmed 14 prognostic variables and survival were examined in 52 a dvanced colorectal cancer patients, because the clinical roles of nm23-H1 e xpression in the cancer lesions remain controversial. An immunohistochemica l expression of nm23-H1 was found in 23 lesions (positive group) but not fo und in 29 lesions (negative group). No significant difference between the p ositive and negative groups was found according to 12 clinicopathological v ariables including vascular invasion, lymph node and liver metastases. and histological stage. The carcinoembryonic antigen levels (21.5 +/- 33.4ng/ml ) of the draining venous blood and argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions score (3.35 +/- 1.36 per nucleus) of the cancer cells in the positive grou p were not significantly diffeent from those (34.1 +/- 102.9 ng/ml and 3.32 +/- 1.00 per nucleus, respectively) in the negative group. In addition, no significant difference was found in the survival curves or the 5-year surv ival rates of the positive and negative groups. From these results, it may be concluded that the nm23-H1 expression was not associated with the aforem entioned prognostic variables and the prognosis of advanced colorectal canc er patients.