The Role of Beclin 1 and HER2 in Colorectal Carcinoma; An Immunohistochemical Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the expression of Beclin 1 and HER2 proteins using immunohistochemistry in CRC tissues compared to colonic adenoma, and to investigate the correlation of their expression with clinicopathological parameters and survival outcomes in CRC patients. METHODS: The study utilized paraffin-embedded blocks from 17 colonic adenoma and 81 CRC cases. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to assess the expression of Beclin 1 and HER2 proteins. RESULTS: The cytoplasmic expression of Beclin 1 was significantly higher in CRC tissues compared to adenoma specimens (P=0.051). High Beclin 1 expression was significantly associated with distal colon location (P=0.028). High HER2 cytoplasmic expression was significantly associated with vascular invasion (P=0.05), perineural invasion (P=0.03), and shorter overall survival (P=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that Beclin 1 plays a role in colorectal carcinogenesis, with higher expression observed in CRC cases compared to adenoma cases.  Furthermore, HER2 carries poor prognostic impact in CRC cases.

ß-catenin and SKP2 proteins as predictors of grade and stage of non-muscle invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the expression of beta-catenin (ß-catenin) and SKP2 proteins in superficial bladder cancer cases and their correlation with tumor grade and stage. METHODS: After institutional review board approval, we retrospectively evaluated the expression of ß-catenin and SKP2 proteins in tissue specimens from patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and compared their results with a cohort of chronic nonspecific cystitis's. Then we and explored these markers association with tumor grade and stage. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients were retrospectively identified, 50% was NMIBC and the rest were chronic nonspecific cystitis. ß-catenin was expressed in 18 (90%) patients of the NMIBC group in comparison to 14 (70%) of the control group with (P=0.1), while SKP2 protein was only expressed in NMIBC groups (P=0.03). A statistically significant correlation was identified between nucleocytoplasmic localization of ß-catenin and SKP2 with tumor grade, stage. CONCLUSIONS: ß-catenin and SKP2 expression are providing promising results for differentiating higher grade and stage non muscle invasive bladder cancers.