Apoptosome-dependent caspase activation proteins as prognostic markers in Stage II and III colorectal cancer.
Br J Cancer 2012;
106:1499-1505. [PMID:
22481083 PMCID:
PMC3341858 DOI:
10.1038/bjc.2012.133]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background:
Critical to successful execution of mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis is apoptosome formation and subsequent activation of caspases. Defects in this pathway have an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis and chemoresistance; therefore, the expression of apoptosome-associated proteins may be associated with clinical outcome and response to chemotherapy.
Methods:
Here we performed a systematic analysis of the immunohistochemical expression of the key proteins involved in apoptosome-dependent caspase activation (APAF1, Pro-caspases 9 and 3, SMAC, and XIAP) in a cohort of Stage II and III colorectal cancer patients from a Phase III trial of adjuvant 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy vs postoperative observation alone.
Results:
Survival analysis indicated that of the apoptosome-associated proteins examined here, Pro-caspase 3 and APAF1 have potential clinical utility as predictive markers in Stage II and III colorectal cancer, respectively. Interestingly, we identified APAF1 staining to be associated with better recurrence-free and overall survival in patients receiving chemotherapy.
Conclusion:
These studies reveal the importance of the apoptosome-dependent caspase activation pathway, specifically Pro-caspase 3 and APAF1 proteins, for predicting both prognosis and response to therapy.
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