Fascin expression in malignant epithelial tumors

Abstract

Fascin is a protein responsible for the aggregation of actin and the organization of actin filaments into cortical structures that play a key role in the mechanism of interactions between cells, adhesion and, above all, cell migration. The results of many studies suggest that fascin contributes to the progression of some malignancies because it facilitates infiltration and the formation of metastases. A review of the literature from 2003 to 2016 concerning the immunohistochemical expression of fascin in the most frequent epithelial malignancies, such as lung, colorectal, gastric, esophageal, breast and ovarian carcinomas, was performed. Less numerous reports on the expression of this protein in carcinomas of the small bowel, biliary tract, hepatocellular carcinoma, carcinomas of the pancreas, thyroid, urinary tract, squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, and uterine endometrioid carcinoma, were also taken into account. The results of these studies are not entirely consistent, but they generally suggest a relationship between the increased fascin expression in many malignant tumors and the indicators of poorer prognosis, such as higher grade and stage of primary tumor, and involvement of of regional lymph nodes. The expression of fascin in neoplastic tissue is often associated with a lower 5-year survival rate, a shorter recurrence-free survival time, and a shorter overall survival time, suggesting that the expression of this protein in malignant neoplasms may have an unfavorable prognostic significance.