ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance scores, CEA levels, CA19-9 levels, hemoglobin levels, lactate dehydrogenase levels, and liver metastasis ratios varied significantly between the low and high AGR groups (p < .05).
The two cases of uveal melanoma liver metastases in our series showed CXCR4 expression, weak immunoreactivity for CXCL12 and absent VEGF immunostaining.
HER2 was positive in nearly 52 % of the primary tumors, and these expressed HER2 in corresponding lymph node and liver metastases in 93 and 100 % of the cases, respectively.
CEA mRNA expression was also closely correlated with E-cadherin mRNA expression in the primary tumor (P<0.001) and in the adjacent hepatocytes of the liver metastasis (P=0.018).
CEA mRNA was detected in all patients with synchronous liver metastases, even though there was no significant correlation between the presence of CEA mRNA in the drainage venous blood and the clinicopathological findings.
Survival analysis revealed that reduced SMAD4 expression significantly affected the patient's overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), although multivariate analysis showed that only liver metastasis and lymphatic infiltration (Ly+) were independent prognostic factors for OS and RFS.
Results showed significant down-regulation of MMP9 and TP53 in Fetal liver above 20weeks of gestation whereas it was up-regulated in fetal liver below 20weeks of gestation, primary liver cancers and liver metastasis.
The concomitant increase in beta-catenin expression and the amount of uPAR was confirmed in primary colon carcinomas and their liver metastases at both the mRNA and the protein levels.
A discordant pattern of β-catenin and E-cadherin expression between pPDC and cPDC, between main tumor and cPDC, and between primary CRC and LM, confirms that EMT is a dynamic and reversible process in CRC.
CEA mRNA expression was also closely correlated with E-cadherin mRNA expression in the primary tumor (P<0.001) and in the adjacent hepatocytes of the liver metastasis (P=0.018).
The liver tumor biopsies were obtained from 40 patients suffering from CLM treated with radical surgery. mRNA expression levels of CEA, MMPs and TIMPs and a housekeeping gene (GAPDH) were quantified using RT-PCR.
High MMP-9 levels were also associated with visceral or bone metastasis (P = 0.027), elevated serum alkaline phosphatase level (P = 0.0009), and presence of liver metastases (P = 0.032).
Moreover, high mtDNA content in tumor tissues was associated with larger tumor size, higher serum CEA level, advanced TNM stage, vascular emboli, and liver metastases.
Immunohistochemical staining showed reduced protein expression of nm23, KISS1 and KAI1 in lymph node and liver metastases compared with primary tumours.Results for p53 were to the contrary.
We have reported that expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha correlates with expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor stage, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, and liver metastasis.
Moreover, high mtDNA content in tumor tissues was associated with larger tumor size, higher serum CEA level, advanced TNM stage, vascular emboli, and liver metastases.
The result showed that the high expression of TLR9 was correlated with tumor poorly differentiation, invasion and liver metastasis, the abnomal increasing levels of CEA in blood.
By comparing overexpression of p53 in primary tumors with that in corresponding secondary tumors, a decrease of more than 5 percent in the fluorescence index, compared with primary tumor, was not found in liver metastasis but was found in 20 percent of lymph node metastases.