Expression of p27, COX-2, MLH1, and MSH2 in young patients with colon carcinoma and correlation with morphologic findings

Colorectal cancer in young patients: is it a distinct clinical entity?

BACKGROUND

The incidence of colorectal cancer in young patients is increasing. It remains unclear if the disease has unique features in this age group.

METHODS

This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study which included patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age ≤40 years in 1997-2013 matched 1:2 by year of diagnosis with consecutive colorectal cancer patients diagnosed at age >50 years during the same period. Patients aged 41-50 years were not included in the study, to accentuate potential age-related differences. Clinicopathological characteristics, treatment, and outcome were compared between groups.

RESULTS

The cohort included 330 patients, followed for a median time of 65.9 months (range 4.7-211). Several significant differences were noted. The younger group had a different ethnic composition. They had higher rates of family history of colorectal cancer (p = 0.003), hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes (p < 0.0001), and inflammatory bowel disease (p = 0.007), and a lower rate of polyps (p < 0.0001). They were more likely to present with stage III or IV disease (p = 0.001), angiolymphatic invasion, signet cell ring adenocarcinoma, and rectal tumors (p = 0.02). Younger patients more frequently received treatment. Young patients had a worse estimated 5-year disease-free survival rate (57.6  vs. 70 %, p = 0.039), but this did not retain significance when analyzed by stage (p = 0.092). Estimated 5-year overall survival rates were 59.1 and 62.1 % in the younger and the control group, respectively (p = 0.565).

CONCLUSIONS

Colorectal cancer among young patients may constitute a distinct clinical entity. Further research is needed to validate our findings and define the optimal approach in this population.

Clinicopathological features and expression of hMLH1 and hMSH2 in Uygur and Han patients with colorectal carcinoma

AIM: To compare the differences in clinicopathological features and expression of hMLH1 and hMSH2 between Uygur and Han patients with colorectal carcinoma.

METHODS: The clinical data for 133 Uygur and 151 Han patients with colorectal carcinoma were analyzed retrospectively. The expression of hMLH1 and hMSH2 proteins was detected in 207 colorectal carcinoma samples, including 98 from Uygur and 109 from Han patients, by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS: There were significant differences in onset age, tumor size, pathological differentiation, lymphatic metastasis and tumor stage between the Uygur group and Han group (P < 0.05). In Uygur patients, the loss rate of hMLH1 expression was 9.2% (9/98) in colorectal cancer tissue, and the loss rate of hMSH2 expression was 3.3% (3/98). The loss rate of hMLH1 expression in patients with tumor size > 5 cm was significantly higher than that in patients with tumor size ≤ 5 cm (17.1% vs 3.5%, P < 0.05). The loss rate of hMLH1 expression in patients with lymph node metastasis was 15.1%, significantly higher than that (2.2%) in patients without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). The loss rate of hMSH2 in colorectal cancer tissue of Uygur patients (3.1%) was significantly lower than that (10.1%) in Han patients (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: There are differences in clinicopathologic features and expression of hMSH2 between Uygur and Han patients with colorectal carcinoma in Xinjiang.