TY - JOUR
T1 - Advances in Brief
T2 - Prognostic Value of bcl-2 Oncoprotein Expression in Stage II Colon Carcinoma
AU - Sinicrope, Frank A.
AU - Hart, John
AU - Michelassi, Fabrizio
AU - Jack Lee, J.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1995/10/1
Y1 - 1995/10/1
N2 - The bcl-2 protooncogene encodes a Mr 25, 000 protein that has been shown to prevent apoptosis or programmed cell death. The bcl-2 protein is detectable in basal cells of normal colonic epithelium, and an altered topographic distribution of this protein is found in colonic neoplasms. However, the clinical significance of abnormal bcl-2 expression in colon carcinomas remains unknown. We examined the prognostic value of the bcl-2 protein in TNM stage II colon carcinomas and its relationship to DNA ploidy, cell proliferation indices, p53 expression, and clinicopathological features. We analyzed 119 resected and otherwise untreated, paraffin-embedded stage II colon carcinomas for bcl-2 and p53 protein expression using immunohistochemistry. DNA ploidy and proliferative index (% S-phase + % G2-M) were determined by flow cytometry, and tumor grade and vascular microinvasion were assessed on histological sections. Cytoplasmic expression of the bcl-2 protein was detected in 72 (66%) of 110 carcinomas, and a high level of expression was significantly correlated with diploid DNA content (P = 0.02) and low proliferative activity (P = 0.005). bcl-2 was not associated with nuclear p53 expression. In a univariate analysis, a higher fraction of bcl-2-positive tumor cells was associated with better relapse-free survival (P = 0.02) and overall survival (P = 0.05) rates. Moreover, a high level of bcl-2 expression was an independent predictor of better relapse-free survival (P = 0.04), but not overall survival (P = 0.14), after adjustment for other variables, including proliferative index, DNA ploidy, and race. In conclusion, bcl-2 overexpression is associated with favorable prognostic features and may predict clinical outcome in stage II colon carcinomas.
AB - The bcl-2 protooncogene encodes a Mr 25, 000 protein that has been shown to prevent apoptosis or programmed cell death. The bcl-2 protein is detectable in basal cells of normal colonic epithelium, and an altered topographic distribution of this protein is found in colonic neoplasms. However, the clinical significance of abnormal bcl-2 expression in colon carcinomas remains unknown. We examined the prognostic value of the bcl-2 protein in TNM stage II colon carcinomas and its relationship to DNA ploidy, cell proliferation indices, p53 expression, and clinicopathological features. We analyzed 119 resected and otherwise untreated, paraffin-embedded stage II colon carcinomas for bcl-2 and p53 protein expression using immunohistochemistry. DNA ploidy and proliferative index (% S-phase + % G2-M) were determined by flow cytometry, and tumor grade and vascular microinvasion were assessed on histological sections. Cytoplasmic expression of the bcl-2 protein was detected in 72 (66%) of 110 carcinomas, and a high level of expression was significantly correlated with diploid DNA content (P = 0.02) and low proliferative activity (P = 0.005). bcl-2 was not associated with nuclear p53 expression. In a univariate analysis, a higher fraction of bcl-2-positive tumor cells was associated with better relapse-free survival (P = 0.02) and overall survival (P = 0.05) rates. Moreover, a high level of bcl-2 expression was an independent predictor of better relapse-free survival (P = 0.04), but not overall survival (P = 0.14), after adjustment for other variables, including proliferative index, DNA ploidy, and race. In conclusion, bcl-2 overexpression is associated with favorable prognostic features and may predict clinical outcome in stage II colon carcinomas.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 9815900
AN - SCOPUS:0028865264
SN - 1078-0432
VL - 1
SP - 1103
EP - 1110
JO - Clinical Cancer Research
JF - Clinical Cancer Research
IS - 10
ER -