Expression and Clinical Significance of L-Plastin in Colorectal Carcinoma

l-plastin, an actin-binding protein, is upregulated in many tumours, including colorectal carcinoma. This study evaluated the expression of l-plastin in plasma and colorectal tumour tissue and analysed the correlation between clinicopathological staging and prognosis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect l-plastin in the plasma of 120 colorectal carcinoma patients and 40 control subjects. Immunohistochemistry analyses were also used. The rate of positive l-plastin expression was significantly higher in colorectal carcinoma patients than in control subjects, and was significantly higher in tumour tissues than in the tissues surrounding the tumour. l-Plastin expression also is correlated with tumour grade and size, and lymph node metastasis. However, there was no correlation with the extent of tumour invasion or distant metastasis. l-Plastin may be a useful marker for screening colorectal carcinoma and determining the prognosis of patients with colorectal carcinoma, and for genetic therapy and targeted therapy of colorectal carcinoma.