In a nutshell
This study evaluated p300 as a potential prognostic marker for colorectal cancer survival.
Some background
Survival of colorectal cancer patients is currently estimated according to cancer staging and lymph node involvement. However, both survival and the response to treatments vary widely between patients. Therefore, new molecules or compounds which may bear an influence on cancer outcome are constantly being investigated.
The p300 protein is an important regulator of normal cell proliferation. A mutation in the gene responsible for p300 has been implicated in the development of various malignancies, including colorectal cancer. This study investigated whether p300 levels could be used to predict survival among colorectal cancer patients.
Methods & findings
199 colorectal cancer patients were followed for an average of 83 months. All patients underwent surgical resection of the cancer, and tumor samples were evaluated for p300 expression and histological grade (an estimation of cancer aggressiveness determined by the microscopic appearance of the tissue).
Out of the 199 patients, 50 were found to have tumors expressing low levels of p300. Overall, low expression of p300 was found to be associated with advanced cancer stage, lymph node involvement and poor histological grade. High expression of p300 was found to be associated with extended disease free survival, regardless of tumor stage or lymph node involvement. However, this association was only significant among colon cancer and not rectal cancer patients.
The bottom line
This study concluded that, among colorectal cancer patients, high p300 expression is independently associated with better prognosis.
The fine print
Other recently published studies have reported conflicting results regarding the association of p300 with the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients, indicating that larger studies should be performed in order to determine the significance of these findings.
Published By :
Surgical oncology
Date :
Nov 01, 2013
