Brief Article
Copyright ©2011 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 14, 2011; 17(14): 1866-1873
Published online Apr 14, 2011. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v17.i14.1866
Clinicopathologic significance of GLUT1 expression and its correlation with Apaf-1 in colorectal adenocarcinomas
Young Jin Jun, Se Min Jang, Hu Lin Han, Kang Hong Lee, Ki-Seok Jang, Seung Sam Paik
Young Jin Jun, Se Min Jang, Ki-Seok Jang, Seung Sam Paik, Hu lin Han, Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-792, South Korea
Kang Hong Lee, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-792, South Korea
Author contributions: Jun YJ and Paik SS designed the study and wrote the manuscript; Jang SM and Han HL performed the majority of the experiments and statistical analysis of the data; Lee KH provided clinical data; Jang KS interpreted the immunohistochemical results; Paik SS reviewed and revised the manuscript.
Supported by The Research Fund of Hanyang University (HY-2010-MC) to Paik SS
Correspondence to: Seung Sam Paik, MD, Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, #17 Haengdang-dong, Sungdong-ku, Seoul 133-792, South Korea. sspaik@hanyang.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-2-22908252  Fax: +82-2-22967502
Received: December 5, 2010
Revised: December 17, 2010
Accepted: December 24, 2010
Published online: April 14, 2011
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the role of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression in colorectal carcinogenesis and evaluate the correlation with clinicopathological parameters and apoptosis-activating factor-1 (Apaf-1) expression in colorectal adenocarcinomas.

METHODS: We used tissue microarrays consisting of 26 normal mucosa, 50 adenomas, 515 adenocarcinomas, and 127 metastatic lesions. Medical records were reviewed and clinicopathological analysis was performed.

RESULTS: GLUT1 expression was absent in normal mucosa and low or moderately apparent in 19 cases (38.0%) of 50 adenomas. However, GLUT1 expression was detected in 423 (82.1%) of 515 adenocarcinomas and in 96 (75.6%) of 127 metastatic lesions. GLUT1 expression was significantly correlated with female gender (P = 0.009), non-mucinous tumor type (P = 0.045), poorer differentiation (P = 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001), higher AJCC and Dukes stage (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). There was a significant inverse correlation between GLUT1 expression and Apaf-1 expression (P = 0.001). In univariate survival analysis, patients with GLUT1 expression demonstrated poor overall survival and disease-free survival (P = 0.047 and P = 0.021, respectively, log-rank test).

CONCLUSION: GLUT1 expression was frequently increased in adenocarcinomas and metastatic lesions. GLUT1 expression was significantly correlated with poorer clinicopathologic phenotypes and survival of patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas.

Keywords: Adenocarcinoma, Colorectum, Glucose transporter 1, Apoptosis-activating factor-1, Prognosis, Survival