Evaluating macrophage migration inhibitory factor 1 expression as a prognostic biomarker in colon cancer

• OBJECTIVE: Several studies indicate that macrophage migration inhibitory factor 1 plays a role for tumor progression in colon cancer. We investigated whether determination of migration inhibitory factor 1 mRNA expression levels in lymph nodes of colon cancer patients could be used as a prognostic marker.METHODS: Expression levels of migration inhibitory factor 1 and carcinoembryonic antigen mRNAs were assessed in primary tumors and regional lymph nodes of 123 colon cancer patients (stages I-IV), and in colon cancer- and immune cell lines using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Expression of migration inhibitory factor 1 protein was investigated by two-color immunohistochemistry and immunomorphometry.RESULTS: Migration inhibitory factor 1 mRNA was expressed at 60 times higher levels in primary colon cancer tumors compared to normal colonic tissue (medians 8.2 and 0.2 mRNA copies/18S rRNA unit; p < .0001). A highly significant difference in mRNA expression levels was found between hematoxylin-eosin positive lymph nodes and hematoxylin-eosin negative lymph nodes (p < .0001). Migration inhibitory factor 1 and carcinoembryonic antigen proteins were simultaneously expressed in many colon cancer-tumor cells. Kaplan-Meier survival model and hazard ratio analysis, using a cutoff level at 2.19 mRNA copies/18S rRNA unit, revealed that patients with lymph nodes expressing high levels of migration inhibitory factor 1 mRNA had a 3.5-fold (p = .04) higher risk for recurrence, associated with a small, but significant, difference in mean survival time (7 months, p = .03) at 12 years of follow-up.CONCLUSION: Although migration inhibitory factor 1 mRNA expression levels were related to severity of disease and lymph node analysis revealed that colon cancer patients with high levels had a shorter survival time after surgery than those with low levels, the difference was small and probably not useful in clinical practice.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Cancer och onkologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cancer and Oncology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor

carcinoembryonic antigen

colon cancer

cumulative survival curves; recurrence risk

disseminated tumor cells

immunofluorescence

immunohistochemistry

immunomorphometry

quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction

carcinoembryonic antigen

colon cancer

cumulative survival curves; recurrence risk

disseminated tumor cells

immunofluorescence

immunohistochemistry

immunomorphometry

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor

quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction

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