Overexpression of POSTN in Tumor Stroma Is a Poor Prognostic Indicator of Colorectal Cancer

Background Tumor microenvironment has recently drawn attention in that it is related with tumor prognosis. Cancer-associated fibroblast also plays a critical role in cancer invasiveness and progression in colorectal cancers. Periostin (POSTN), originally identified to be expressed in osteoblasts and osteoblast-derived cells, is expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts in several tissue types of cancer. Recent studies suggest an association between stromal overexpression of POSTN and poor prognosis of cancer patients. Methods We analyzed colorectal cancer cases for their expression status of POSTN in tumor stroma using immunohistochemistry and correlated the expression status with clinicopathological and molecular features. Results High level of POSTN expression in tumor stroma was closely associated with tumor location in proximal colon, infiltrative growth pattern, undifferentiated histology, tumor budding, luminal necrosis, and higher TNM stage. High expression status of POSTN in tumor stroma was found to be an independent prognostic parameter implicating poor 5-year cancer-specific survival and 5-year progression-free survival. Conclusions Our findings suggest that POSTN overexpression in tumor stroma of colorectal cancers could be a possible candidate marker for predicting poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancers.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC

1. 16.

   Cancer‐associated fibroblasts predict poor outcome and promote periostin‐dependent invasion in oesophageal adenocarcinoma · 2015

2. 32.

   TGFβ signaling directs serrated adenomas to the mesenchymal colorectal cancer subtype · 2016

30 more references, whose wording the paper’s licence keeps private.

• Periostin: A Matricellular Protein With Multiple Functions in Cancer Development and Progression · 2018

A person counts once a day per paper. We keep no cookie and no address: a reader is a hash that changes every day. Any month under five reads shows no number.