ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the expression and clinicopathological significance of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α), glucose transporter 1(GLUT-1) and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)-5 in colorectal cancer.@*Methods@#The expression levels of HIF-1α, GLUT-1 and LDH-5 were detected by immunohistochemical staining in 142 specimens of human carcinoma in comparison with adjacent normal tissues.@*Results@#The expression levels of HIF-1α(78.2%, 111/142), GLUT-1(75.4%, 107/142) and LDH-5(68.3%, 97/142) were higher in tumor tissues than in adjacent normal tissues(14.8%, 21/142; 11.3%, 16/142; 7.0%, 10/142; P<0.01 for all three proteins), and such over-expression was significantly associated with lymphovascular invasion, tumor grade and pathological stages(all P<0.01). Additional studies showed that HIF-1α, GLUT-1 and LDH-5 were positively associated with each other(r<0.3, P<0.05 for all three proteins).@*Conclusion@#The data suggest that HIF-1α, GLUT-1 and LDH-5 expression may serve as prognostic indicators for colorectal cancer patients.