Clinical Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 14, 2005; 11(34): 5322-5326
Published online Sep 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i34.5322
Limited influences of chemotherapy on healthy and metastatic liver parenchyma
Nancy Van Damme, Pieter Demetter, Wouter De Bock, Marianne Rottiers, Marleen Praet, Bernard de Hemptinne, Marc Peeters
Nancy Van Damme, Wouter De Bock, Marc Peeters, Department of Gastroenterology, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 1K12IE, Ghent 9000, Belgium
Pieter Demetter, Marianne Rottiers, Marleen Praet, Department of Pathology, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, Blok A, Ghent 9000, Belgium
Bernard de Hemptinne, Department of Surgery, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 2K12IC, Ghent 9000, Belgium
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Nancy Van Damme, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 1K12IE, Ghent 9000, Belgium. nancy.vandamme@ugent.be
Telephone: +32-9-2405665 Fax: +32-9-2404984
Received: December 22, 2004
Revised: January 1, 2005
Accepted: January 5, 2005
Published online: September 14, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To examine the expression of E-cadherin, β-catenin, γ-catenin, VEGF, and p53 in 39 patients with hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer immunohistochemically.

METHODS: The patients were divided into two groups: those (n = 16) who had no chemotherapy for at least 6 mo before the liver resections and those (n = 23) who were treated with chemotherapy before liver resections. A score from 0 to 3 was given for the number of positive cells and from 0 to 3 for the intensity of staining in these cells, in both healthy and metastatic liver parenchyma.

RESULTS: No significant differences in the expression of E-cadherin, β- and γ-catenin, VEGF and p53, could be observed between patients who received and did not receive chemotherapy, in both normal and metastatic liver parenchyma.

CONCLUSION: Despite the assumption that chemotherapy had an effect on liver metastasis, no influences were noticed immunohistochemically.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Metastatic liver parenchyma; Cadherin; Catenin; VEGF