Correlation of Nrf2, NQO1, MRP1, cmyc and p53 in colorectal cancer and their relationships to clinicopathologic features and survival

Due to emergence of resistant tumor populations, prognosis for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients remains poor and five-year survival rate is still very low. To guide clinicians in selecting treatment option for CRC patients, reliable markers predictive of poor clinical outcome are desirable. This study analyzed the correlation of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), NAD(P)H quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), multidrug resistant protein 1 (MRP1), cmyc and p53 in CRC and their relationships to Duke’s stage and clinical prognosis. 76 specimens of CRC tissues were immunohistochemically investigated using Nrf2, NQO1, MRP1, cmyc and p53 antibodies. IHC stain showed that Nrf2, NQO1, MRP1, cmyc and p53 were highly expressed in CRC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Significant positive correlations were found between the expression of Nrf2 and that of NQO1, MRP1, cmyc and p53. Moreover, there was significant correlation between the high level of Nrf2, NQO1, MRP1, p53 expression and Duke’s stage, as well as poor clinical prognosis. We confirmed that Nrf2, NQO1, MRP1, and p53 expression exhibits considerable heterogeneity according to CRC clinical stage and prognosis. Nrf2 is the most promising biomarker in identifying a poor prognostic group of CRC.