Betacatenin Expression in Colorectal Adenoma and Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION: Adenocarcinoma of colon is the most common tumor of gastrointestinal tract. Malignant epithelial tumors of colon and rectum accounts for 85% of all cancers worldwide. Colorectal cancer is a disease of late middle age and elderly individuals with a peak incidence at 60-70 with a male preponderance. It is the third most common cancer in males and second most common cancer in females. Classic adenoma-carcinoma sequence constitutes for about 80% Cases.The prognosis depends mainly on the stage of the disease. Approximately 30% cases with colorectal cancer have metastasis at the time of first presentation. β –catenin/TCF pathway deregulation play a central role in colorectal cancers. Under physiological condition large fraction of β catenin is bound to cell membrane with E cadherin which is cell to cell adhesion protein and through α catenin to actin cytoskeleton, free unphosphorylated βcatenin translocate to nucleus. unphosphorylated βcatenin which binds to tran-scriptional factors TCF /LEF and activates transcription of specific target gene such as c-myc, cyclin D1, VEGF, MMP7 which leads to cell proliferation and carcinogenesis. APC /β –catenin/TCF pathway deregulation play a central role in colorectal Cancers. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims, To assess the expression of beta catenin in colorectal adenoma and car-cinoma at a tertiary care hospital – Govt. Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai. OBJECTIVES: To find the rate of expression of beta catenin in colorectal adenoma and Carcinoma. To correlate it with clinico pathological variables (age, sex, clinical fea-tures, gross and microscopic findings). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 50 resected specimens of colorectal carcinoma from January 2016 to May 2018 were studied. immunohistochemistry was done using beta catenin. RESULTS: Among 50 cases studied at Kilpauk medical college from 2016 -2018, mean age of presentation in colorectal adenoma is 57.7 years and colorectal carcinoma is 48.8 years. • Colorectal adenoma showed female preponderance, colorectal carcinoma showed male preponderance. • Both adenoma and carcinoma showed left sided preponderance. • Well differentiated Infiltrating adenocarcinoma being the predominant histopathological subtype. • Immunohistochemically analysis was performed to assess the expression of beta catenin in colorectal adenoma and carcinoma. • Significant association is present in membranous and cytoplasmic ex-pression of beta catenin, which is higher in carcinoma when compared with adenoma. • Out of 50 cases only 3 cases of carcinoma showed nuclear positivity. • This study throws light on the need for targeted therapy against beta catenin which is overexpressed in carcinomas compared with adenoma