RESUMEN
PURPOSE: Decreased expressions of E-cadherin and beta-catenin are known to be associated with tumor metastases. but the clinical relationship between the degree of expression and the prognosis in colorectal cancer remains unclear. In this study, the expressions of E-cadherin and beta-catenin in stage II colorectal cancer patients were evaluated and their relation with metachronous distant metastasis analyzed. METHODS: From the patients who underwent a curative resection for stage II colorectal cancer, 25 who had a recurrence after surgery due to distant metastasis (group with recurrence) were selected, and matched with 25 patients who did not have a recurrence (group without recurrence). Paraffin embedded blocks from these patients and samples from normal colon, primary colon cancer were prepared in tissue microarrays and were stained by immunohistochemistry. The expressions were classified as grades 0, 1, 2, or 3 compared to those of normal tissue. RESULTS: The mena age of the patients was 55.7 years, with a median follow up period of 73.7 months. There are no significant differences in the clinicopathological data between the groups with recurrence and without recurrence. There were no significant differences in the degrees of E-cadherin and beta-catenin expression between the two groups (P=0.16, 0.10), or in the 5-year survival and disease free survival rates between the high and low expression groups (degree > or =2.5 and < or =2, respectively) of E-cadherin and beta-catenin. CONCLUSION: The expressions of E-cadherin and beta-catenin may not play a prognostic role in the prediction of metachronous distant metastasis in stage II colorectal cancers patients.