The findings demonstrate that, at present, the CD133(+)CD44(+ ) population may be the best to identify tumor initiating cells of human colon cancer.

No abstract

Mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK) is a microtubule depolymerase that is essential for proper kinetochore -microtubule attachment during spindle formation. Overexpression of MCAK has been correlated with aggressive forms of carcinoma, resulting in poor prognosis of colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to quantify MCAK expression in malignant and benign colorectal tissues and to determine if MCAK expression levels correlate with clinicopathologic factors and prognosis in colorectal cancer patients. Paired colorectal tissue samples from tumours and the corresponding normal tissues were obtained from 120 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent surgical resection. The real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to analyse mRNA and protein expression status with respect to various clinicopathological factors. MCAK expression was higher in colorectal cancer tissue (Po0.01) than in corresponding normal tissue, and this elevated expression level was markedly associated with factors such as lymph node metastasis (P ¼ 0.0023), venous invasion (P ¼ 0.019), peritoneal dissemination (P ¼ 0.021) and Dukes' classification (P ¼ 0.0023). Patients with high MCAK mRNA expression also showed a far poorer survival rate than those with low MCAK mRNA expression (Po0.01). Elevated MCAK expression was an independent predictor of overall survival and lymph node metastasis. These data suggest that MCAK expression may serve as a good marker of prognosis and lymph node metastasis in colorectal cancer.

Fhl1 gene was underexpressed in clinical gastric cancer. Loss of Fhl1 expression would be a novel biomarker to determine biological aggressiveness of gastric cancer.

The high expression level of Stanniocalcin 2 in gastric cancer tissues could be a very powerful marker of poor prognosis. Therefore, Stanniocalcin 2 is a promising candidate for a molecular target for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Technetium-99m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-galactosyl-human serum albumin (Tc-GSA) is a receptor binding agent, specific for asialoglycoprotein receptor, that resides exclusively on the plasma membrane of mammalian hepatocytes. The usefulness of Tc-GSA for estimating the hepatic functional reserve was retrospectively evaluated in patients undergoing a hepatic resection. Tc-GSA scintigraphy was performed in 35 patients before hepatectomy, and the hepatic uptake ratio (LHL15) was calculated. The LHL15 was then compared with the findings of conventional liver function tests, the indocyanine green retention rate in 15 minutes (ICG R15), and histologic activity index (HAI) score. Significant correlations were observed between the LHL15 and values of ICG R15, prothrombin time activity, serum levels of total bilirubin, hyaluronic acid, and values of HAI score. Ratios of LHL15 to preoperative liver volume (LHL-V) correlated well with the regenerative rates of the residual liver after major hepatectomy. In addition, patients with more than 0.76 of LHL-V value had no complications in postoperative course, whereas those with less than 0.73 had several complications due to hepatic dysfunction. Tc-GSA scintigraphy thus appears to be a useful diagnostic tool for evaluating functioning mass of the liver and the values of LHL-V seems to be able to demonstrate regenerative activity in the residual liver after hepatectomy.

No abstract

TNS4 was frequently overexpressed in gastric cancer, and tumors with high TNS4 mRNA expression showed biologically aggressive behavior. High TNS4 mRNA expression may be a novel prognostic predictor for those patients.