Relationship between insulin-like growth factor II and prognosis of colorectal cancer

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) and prognosis of colorectal cancer. METHODS: One hundred and forty-two colorectal cancer patients were enrolled. In colonoscopic biopsy specimens, the expression of IGF-II and PCNA were detected immunohistochemically, while TUNEL technique was used to detect apoptosis. All patients were followed up, and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rate were calculated. RESULTS: The expression level of IGF-II was significantly higher in colorectal cancer than in normal colorectal mucosa. A correlation was observed between more IGF-II expression, high PCNA labeling index, and apoptotic index was demonstrated. Patients with lower expression level of IGF-II had higher DFS and OS. Multivariate analysis by means of the Cox proportional-hazards model revealed that the expression level of IGF-II was an independent prognostic predictor in colorectal cancer patients. CONCLUSION: The expression level of IGF-II is a new prognostic predictor for colorectal cancer.