Clinical Significance of the Content of Biomolecular Markers in Invasive Front of Colon Carcinomas

We studied the expression of beta-catenin, matrix metalloproteinase 9, collagen IV, and laminin in invasive front of primary colon adenocarcinomas and their metastases in lymph nodes and liver. Intensive expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 in zones of invasive growth of the tumor was associated with enhanced accumulation of beta-catenin in the nuclei of tumor cells in peripheral zones of 28% studied tumors. The presence of nuclear beta-catenin and increased content of metalloproteinase 9 in the tumor were associated with abnormal accumulation of laminin in cell cytoplasm and with the absence of collagen IV-containing basal membranes. These changes were typical of tumors with high invasive and metastatic potential. Our findings suggest that beta-catenin, matrix metalloproteinase 9, laminin, and collagen IV are important predictors of clinical course of rectal cancer and that the peculiarities of protein expression related to the risk of liver metastases have concordant patterns and are most pronounced in invasive front of the tumor.