SCRN1 Is a Novel Marker for Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer

Purpose: Secernin 1 (SCRN1) is a member of the secernin family and is reported to be a tumor-associated antigen. Previous reports show that SCRN1 is upregulated in gastric cancer cell lines and may be a novel immunotherapy target, whereas its significance in colorectal cancer (CRC) is not fully understood. Materials and Methods: The present study comprised 54 patients who underwent surgery for CRC, as well as two cell lines derived from human CRC. We assessed the correlation of gene expression with clinical parameters in the CRC patients, and knockdown was evaluated in the cell lines. Results: Thirty of the 54 (55.5%) cases exhibited a higher expression of the SCRN1 gene in cancerous regions than marginal non-cancerous regions. Patients with high SCRN1 expression were statistically susceptible to a poor prognosis and showed poorer disease-free survival than those with low expression. SCRN1 knockdown in the two cell lines demonstrated that the siRNA inhibition resulted in a statistically significant reduction in cell growth. Conclusion: The present data strongly suggest that SCRN1 expression is a prognostic factor in CRC patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2070;101:156-159. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.