Utility of clusterin as a biomarker in human colorectal neoplasia
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Utility of Clusterin as a Biomarker in Human Colorectal Neoplasia Research Study P.D. Gikas, V.A. Komborozos, C.D. Petraki, T. Morris, D.P. Gikas Received 12/12/2011 Accepted 20/12/2012
Abstract Background: Clusterin, also known as apolipoprotein J (ApoJ), is a heterodimeric highly conserved and secreted glycoprotein expressed in a wide variety of tissues and found in many body fluids. Recently, a potential oncogenic role of clusterin in the development and/or progression of several human cancers has been examined. Aim: To investigate the potential role of clusterin as a biomarker in human colorectal adenocarcinoma Methods: Eighty-one colorectal carcinomas were used to assess the expression of clusterin, cellular proliferation and cellular apoptosis, using immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assay. Subsequently, the correlation of clusterin expression with the clinicopathological characteristics of the tumours was examined, in an attempt to investigate its potential use as a biomarker in colorectal cancer. Results: Clusterin expression was found to be statistically associated with tumour size, tumour stage and cellular proliferation, but the observed associations were weak. Conclusion: Overexpression of cytoplasmic clusterin in human colorectal cancer may be involved in tumourigenesis. However, we cannot yet support its use as a biomarker.
Key words:
Clusterin, Colorectal cancer, Biomarkers
Introduction Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most common human cancers and a major cause of cancerrelated death in developed countries[1]. Although CRC has been widely studied and the development of this cancer is most probably a multistep process P.D. Gikas (Corresponding author) - Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science Brockley Hill Stanmore, Middlesex HA7 4LP United Kingdom V.A. Komborozos - 3rd Department of Surgery, “Evangelismos” Hosp. Athens, Greece C.D. Petraki, T. Morris - Department of Pathology, “Evangelismos” Hosp, Athens, Greece D.P. Gikas, Surgeon, Chalkis, Greece e-mail: [email protected]
involving multiple genetic changes, the understanding of the precise pathogenic mechanisms by which normal colorectal epithelial cells become malignant cells is far from being thoroughly understood. Clusterin, also known as apolipoprotein J (ApoJ), is a heterodimeric highly conserved and secreted glycoprotein expressed in a wide variety of tissues and found in many body fluids. Clusterin has been implicated in diverse normal biological processes such as sperm maturation, lipid transportation, tissue remodelling, membrane recycling, cell-cell and cell-substratum interactions and cell apoptosis[2-6]. Recently, a potential oncogenic role of clusterin in the development and/or progression of several human cancers has been examined. Increased expression of clusterin was detected in prostate, renal cell and lung cancer [7,8]. Expression of clusterin has been positively associated with the aggressive nature of breast cancer, while the expression of clusterin in normal breast epithelial cells was undetectable
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