Abstract:
Objective This study discusses the relationship between the expression deletion of hMLH1 and hMSH2 proteins as well as the clinico-pathologic features or prognosis in patients with stages Ⅱ and Ⅲ rectal cancers.
Methods Ninety-one stages Ⅱ and Ⅲ rectal cancer patients, who obtained clear pathological diagnosis and underwent radical surgery, participated in this study. The hMLH1 and hMSH2 protein expressions were assessed by standard streptavidin-peroxidase immunohistochemistry. Chi-square test was used to analyze the relationship between the expression deletion of hMLH1 and hMSH2 proteins and clinico-pathologic features of the patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curves, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazard model were employed to analyze the relationship among various factors and the prognosis.
Results The miss rates of the hMLH1 and hMSH2 protein expressions were 30.77% and 19.78%, respectively. No significant difference was found between the patients with and without the expression deletion of the hMLH1 and hMSH2 proteins with regard to their gender, age, pathological type, depth of infiltration, and number and stage of the lymph-node metastasis (P=0.751, 0.297, 0.829, 0.954, 0.132, and 0.300). Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that disease-free survival (DFS) is affected by factors such as the number of nodal metastasis, as well as the status of the hMLH1 and/or hMSH2 protein expressions (P=0.010, 0.032). These are also the independent factors of DFS (P=0.026, P=0.035). Patients who presented expression deletion of hMLH1 and hMSH2 proteins have a much higher 2-year DFS rate compared with those who did not (P=0.036).
Conclusion Patients who present expression deletion of hMLH1 and hMSH2 proteins possess similar clinico-pathologic features with those expressing hMLH1 and hMSH2 proteins. However, the prognosis for the former is significantly favorable than for the latter.