Keratin 7 expression in lymph node metastases but not in the primary tumour correlates with distant metastases and poor prognosis in colon carcinoma

Abstract

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Alterations in keratin expression, including keratin 7 (K7), are frequent findings in multiple cancers, and they constitute a prognostic factor. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of K7 in the primary tumour and lymph node metastases in two separate cohorts of patients: the first one with lymph node involvement (LN+, 129 cases) and the second one free of LN metastases (LN-, 85 cases). Keratin 7 expression in CRC was analysed on tissue microarrays with immunohistochemistry and evaluated using the h-score. In the LN+ group K7 positivity was identified in 7/129 (5.4%) of primary tumours (PT) and lymph node metastases (LNM); concordance between them was 94% (κ = 0.396). Keratin 7 was expressed in 8/85 cases (9.4%) in the LN-group. K7 expression in LNM of the LN+ cohort correlated with shorter overall survival (OS) (p = 0.047) and presence of distant metastases at diagnosis (p = 0.005). Expression of K7 in the primary tumour in both cohorts did not correlate with survival. We conclude that the status of K7 expression in metastatic lymph nodes from CRC is a poor prognostic factor.

Keratin 80 promotes migration and invasion of colorectal carcinoma by interacting with PRKDC via activating the AKT pathway

“…Studies have demonstrated that keratins play a vital role in maintaining the mechanical stability and integrity of epithelial cells, and participate in several intracellular signaling pathways involved in cell stress, proliferation, and metastasis 27 , 28 . Numerous studies have found several genes that were specifically upregulated or downregulated in CRC tissues and could be used as biomarkers for diagnosis or prognosis 25 , 29 . KRT80 has been rarely reported to be associated with any disease, including cancer.…”

The deregulation of miR-17/CCND1 axis during neuroendocrine transdifferentiation of LNCaP prostate cancer cells

“…Interestingly, we detected an upregulation of several keratins and keratin associated proteins ( Table 1 ), whose function for tumorigenesis and progression is still not fully understood yet. Keratin 7 seems to be involved in metastasis in colon carcinoma [ 35 ].…”

CK7/CK19 index: A potential prognostic factor for postoperative intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients

“…Every type of epithelial cell often possesses a specific cytokeratin expression profile that distinguish from others. In malignant transformation and progression, although tumors largely keep the cytokeratin profiles, the expression levels of cytokeratins are diverse . Aberrant expression of cytokeratins in tumor cells usually predicts a poor clinical outcome.…”