Prognostic value of tissue polyamine levels in human colorectal carcinoma

Background: Polyamines are aliphatic cations that play critical roles in cell proliferation and differentiation and in cancer development. Abnormally high polyamine levels have been demonstrated in various types of cancer, but few studies have investigated the prognostic significance of tissue polyamine levels. In this study we evaluated the disease-free survival of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma according to the polyamine levels in neoplastic tissue and uninvolved surrounding mucosa. Patients and Methods: A total of 111 patients with colorectal carcinoma were included in this study. Tissue polyamine levels were evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: Significantly higher single and total polyamine levels were found in colorectal carcinoma compared to those from normal surrounding mucosa. Further, tumor spermine levels were a significant prognostic factor for disease recurrence. Conclusion: Differences in tumor spermine levels may affect the biological properties of the tumor and such differences could have a significant role in determining the outcome of colorectal cancer patients.