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OBJECTIVE: The caudal-related homeobox transcription factor 2 (CDX2) plays an important role in intestinal epithelial differentiation, proliferation, migration, and adhesion. It has been previously reported that TNF-α reduces CDX2 expression in cultured colon epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner, and that this effect was reduced by adding the anti-TNF-α drug infliximab to the culture medium. The aim of this study was to determine whether CDX2 expression is reduced in biopsies from patients with Crohn's disease (CD), and whether treatment with anti-TNF-α drugs reverses CDX2 downregulation in these patients. METHODS: Sections of ileocolonic biopsy tissues from patients with CD, CD treated with anti-TNF-α biologics (CD-T), and controls were stained for CDX2 and evaluated using OTMIAS digital image analysis. RESULTS: CDX2 expression in biopsies from patients with CD and CD-T was lower than in controls (p=0.0003). CDX2 expression in CD-T did not increase (p=0.3292) and remained significantly lower than controls (p=0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Although CDX2 is downregulated in CD, it did not revert to normal in patients treated with anti-TNF-α biologics.

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OBJECTIVE: CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP)-positive colorectal cancers (CRC) and CRC with microsatellite instability (MSI) were reported to have a decreased expression of estrogen receptor, beta1 (ER-ß1), and methylation accompanied by decreased expression for the caudal-related homeobox, transcription factor 2 (CDX2). While precursor lesions of these cancers, known as sessile serrated adenomas (SSA), were found to have decreased CDX2 expression, the status of ER-ß1 expression in SSA is unknown. The aim of this study is to determine ER-ß1 expression in SSA and its relation to CDX2 expression. METHODS: Sections of formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissue from 62 consecutive cases of SSA were stained by immunohistochemistry for ER-ß1 and CDX2. SSA with ER-ß1 or CDX2 expression similar to that of a normal colon were scored as 0, while those with a loss of expression in <10% of SSA crypts as 1, 11-25% as 2, 26-50% as 3, 51-75% as 4, and CDX2 loss in >75% of the SSA crypts scored as 5. RESULTS: There is a significant correlation between a loss of CDX2 and the loss of ER-ß1 scores in SSA (p<0.001). The downregulation of CDX2 was greater in SSA arising from the right colon compared to the left colon and rectum (p=0.012). Similarly, downregulation of ER-ß1 was greater in SSA arising in the right colon compared to the left colon and rectum (p=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show significant downregulation of both ER-ß1 and CDX2 expression in SSA, especially in the right colon. These findings suggest that ER-ß1 downregulation plays a significant role in the malignant progression of SSA.

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Limited studies have shown that some patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) may benefit from treatment with tamoxifen. PAC has been shown to be largely negative for estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha). The aim of this pilot study was to investigate ER-beta expression in human PAC. Sections of tissue microarray with 18 evaluable cases of human PAC were stained by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for ER-beta1, ER-beta2, ER-beta5, and Cyclin A. The levels of ER-beta isoform expression and the S-phase fraction (SPF) were determined using quantitative digital image analysis. Higher mean and median ER-beta2 levels correlated with male sex (p = 0.057 and p = 0.035, respectively), older age (p = 0.005 and p = 0.006, respectively), and lower pT stage (p = 0.008 and p = 0.009). Mean and median ER-beta5 levels correlated negatively with SPF (p = 0.021 and p = 0.047, respectively). Mean ER-beta1 expression did not correlate with any of the above mentioned clinicopathologic factors. The findings in this pilot study, although should be considered preliminary, suggest that some ER-beta isoforms may play a role in the biology of PAC. Additional larger studies are needed to confirm our findings, and to determine whether ER-beta may be considered for future targeted therapy.