Expression of p16 Marker in Colorectal Cancer and its Association with Clinicopathologic Parameters in Patients with Colectomy Surgery

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Pathology, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

2 Cancer Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

3 Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is a genetic disease with complex and diverse pathways. The p16 is a tumor-inhibiting gene that acts as a regulator of the cell cycle. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the expression of the p16 marker in CRC and its relationship with clinical and pathological parameters.
Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, paraffin blocks of tumors of consecutive CRC patients registered in the histopathology laboratory of hospitals under the auspices of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences were used. Clinicopathological information such as the degree of tumor differentiation, tumor depth of invasion, lymph node involvement status, etc. were extracted from the patient's files and pathology reports and using paraffin blocks, specific staining for the p16 factor was performed using immunohistochemistry. Data were analyzed by SPSS software.
Results: In the immunohistochemistry technique from 38 samples, the staining rate of P16 marker: 13 samples (34.2%) scored 3, 12 samples (31.6%) scored 2, seven samples (18.4%) scored 1 and six samples (15.8%) scored zero. Also, the staining intensity was severe in 10 cases (26.3%), moderate in 14 cases (36.8%), mild in 8 cases (21.1%), and negative in 6 cases (15.8%). The amount and intensity of staining for the p16 factor in the immunohistochemistry technique were not associated with sex, age, tumor location, tumor differentiation rate, tumor depth of invasion, lymph node involvement, lymph vascular invasion, and perineural invasion (p>0.05). Tumor size was not significantly associated with staining rate but was significantly associated with staining intensity (p<0.05), so in cases with larger tumor size, staining intensity was lower.
Conclusions: Despite the positive expression of P16 in 84.2% of colorectal cancer cases, its expression was not associated with clinical and pathological parameters. 

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