Soluble VCAM-1 and its relation to disease progression in colorectal carcinoma

Abstract

The membranous form of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 supports metastasis, while its soluble forms may suppress cancer growth by competitive inhibition of ligand binding to VCAM-1 and/or by inducing chemotaxis of lymphocytes. Here, we investigated the biological kinetics of membranous and soluble forms of VCAM-1 in tumors, and evaluated their association with malignant potential in colorectal cancer. We measured tissue concentrations of soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) in tumors and normal mucosa from 150 colorectal cancer patients. VCAM-1 expression was detected immunohistochemically. Reduced levels of sVCAM-1 in cancer tissues were significantly associated with factors reflecting disease progression such as T classification, lymphatic duct and vessel involvement, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. In Cox multivariate analysis, distant metastasis and reduced sVCAM-1 levels in cancer tissues were independent risk factors for poor prognosis. Immunohistochemically, VCAM-1 was intensely expressed in cancer stroma, and its expression was associated with decreased sVCAM-1 concentrations and poor prognosis. Decreased tissue concentrations of sVCAM-1 in colorectal cancer patients were significantly correlated with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis. Suppressed shedding of membranous VCAM-1 in its soluble form into the cancer stroma might play a role in the progression of colorectal carcinoma.