Immunohistochemical assessment of ezrin and moesin in colorectal carcinoma

Ezrin and moesin are important molecules of the ERM family of proteins, which regulate cell adhesion and migration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intensity and pattern of ezrin and moesin expression in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) together with correlating their expression with the clinico-pathologic features of this neoplasm. This study was carried out on 48 CRC and 10 adenoma specimens. All adenoma and 95% of CRC cases showed both ezrin and moesin expression. Ezrin was predominantly cytoplasmic in adenoma cases in comparison to membranous localization in carcinoma cases. Moesin was predominantly expressed in stroma (inflammatory cells and fibroblasts) in carcinoma (89.1%) compared with adenoma (50%). High H-score of ezrin expression was associated with adenocarcinoma type (P = .024) and was inversely correlated with mitotic count (P = .005). High H-score of moesin expression was associated with early Dukes staging of CRC (P = .016), absence of lymph node involvement (P = .022), and low number of involved lymph nodes (P = .04). The association of ezrin with favorable prognostic parameters may be due to its prominent membranous localization. The stroma of CRC could stand against invasion by expression of moesin. Ezrin and moesin are independently expressed from each other.