The expression of CD44-mRNA was examined in 90 specimens from 44 patients with colorectal cancer or colorectal adenomatous polyps and in the peripheral blood leukocytes from 7 healthy volunteers by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot hybridization.
In the present study, expression of alternatively spliced variants of CD44 and their cellular distribution have been investigated in human colonic tumours and in the corresponding normal mucosa, in addition to benign adenomatous polyps.