Abstract:
Clinical Problem: Baseline examinations showed that the expression pattern of Huntingtin-Interacting-Protein-1 in the tumor cells of colon carcinomas correlates with the tumor biology and has a prognostic relevance.
In the present pathomorphologic study, the immunohistochemical expression behavior of HIP 1 is examined in view of its prognostic relevance in colon cancer.
Test specimens, material and methods: Immunohistochemical examinations were carried out at the Institute for Pathology of the Clinical Centre Stuttgart with 126 randomized colorectal carcinomas (42 women and 84 men, average age 63 years) from 1994 to 2006 after conventional morphologic preparation to investigate the HIP 1 expression behavior. The results were correlated with the conventional staging and grading findings and then statistically cross-checked with the values in the patients’ survival period.
Results: In regular colon epitheliums HIP1could not be demonstrated immunohistochemically. This fact complies with examinations of prostate cancer carried out earlier (Rao et al., 2002).
The examined colorectal carcinomas showed a low HIP 1 expression in 45 cases, a medium expression in 42 cases and a high expression in 30 cases. Following to the statistic review and graphic presentation, the results were evaluated with the help of the Score-Index (Rao et al., 2002). No significant correlation between the proven HIP 1 expression and the tumor biology of colorectal carcinoma could be demonstrated, in contrast to examinations of prostate cancer carried out earlier. A significance of HIP 1 expression to the grading and staging of the tumors could not be proven. The expression patterns in view of the survival period rates showed nearly identical values and thus correspond to the known processes. The HIP 1 expression in the endothelium of the small blood vessels of the intestinal wall served as positive control.
Conclusion: In contrast to prostate cancer, the present examination could not substantiate a significant correlation between immunohistochemical presentation of HIP 1 in the tumor cells of the colon carcinoma and the tumor biology, the data of staging and grading and the background knowledge concerning long-term survival. Thus the hope that the HIP 1 expression can be used as prognostic factor in colon carcinomas was not fulfilled.
However, future molecular-pathological examinations may achieve utilizable prognostic results by sequencing the HIP 1 antigen.