Reappraisal of the role of NM23-H1 in colorectal cancers

Background and Objectives: A number of evidence indicate that downregulation of the nm23-H1 gene may be relevant to metastatic progression of many kinds of human cancer. However, its role in colorectal cancers remains controversial. To address the issue, this study was performed to investigate the clinical relevance of nm23-H1 in patients with colorectal cancers. Methods: Immunohistochemical expression of nm23-H1 protein product (NM23-H1) was studied in a total of 146 colorectal cancer patients and compared for its prognostic value at a mean follow-up of 54 months. Results: There was no apparent correlation between NM23-Hl expression and clinicopathological indicators, including Dukes category, lymphatic metastasis, distant metastasis, histological grading, and tumor location (P > 0.1, respectively). In addition, determination of NM23-H1 expression status did not provide independent prognostic information compared with conventional pathological staging. Conclusions: The results indicate that nm23-H1 gene does not play an important part in the progression of colorectal carcinogenesis. J. Surg. Oncol. 2001:76:58-62. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss. Inc.