Prognostic Significance of Wnt-1, β-catenin and E-cadherin Expression in Advanced Colorectal Carcinoma

Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays an important role in initiation and progression of colorectal oncogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine expression and localization of E-cadherin, β-catenin and Wnt-1 proteins in colorectal tumors. Expression of β-catenin, E-cadherin and Wnt-1 was determined by immunohistochemistry on advanced colorectal cancers. Abnormal expression of E-cadherin, β-catenin, Wnt-1 was observed. Additionally, we revealed correlations between levels of studied proteins and histoclinical data. In multivariate analysis nuclear β-catenin, higher carcinoembryonic antigen serum level before treatment, female sex and tumor localized in colon or rectum were independent unfavorable prognostic factors. These findings support the hypothesis that Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays an important role in advanced colorectal carcinoma

The risk of renal disease is increased in lambda myeloma with bone marrow amyloid deposits

Piotr Kozlowski,1 Scott Montgomery,2–4 Rahel Befekadu,5 Victoria Hahn-Strömberg6 1Department of Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; 2Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; 3Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 4Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK; 5Department of Transfusion Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; 6Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Background: Light chain amyloidosis (AL) is a rare deposition disease and is present in 10–15% of patients with myeloma (MM). In contrast to symptomatic AL in MM, presence of bone marrow (BM) amyloid deposits (AD) in MM is not connected to kidney damage. Renal AD but not BM-AD occur mostly in MM with lambda paraprotein (lambda MM). Methods: We investigated amyloid presence in BM clots taken at diagnosis in 84 patients with symptomatic MM and compared disease characteristics in MM with kappa paraprotein (kappa MM)/lambda MM with and without BM-AD. Results: Lambda MM with BM-AD was compared with kappa MM without BM-AD, kappa MM with BM-AD, and lambda MM without BM-AD: lambda MM with BM-AD patients had a significantly higher mean creatinine level (4.23 mg/dL vs 1.69, 1.14, and 1.28 mg/dL, respectively) and a higher proportion presented with severe kidney failure (6/11 [55%] vs 6/32 [19%], 1/22 [5%], and 3/19 [16%], respectively). Proteinuria was more common in lambda MM with BM-AD patients compared with kappa MM without BM-AD patients (8/11 [73%] vs 5/32 [16%], respectively). Conclusion: Kidney damage was more common in lambda MM with BM-AD indicating presence of renal AD. Keywords: plasma cells, neoplasms, amyloidosis, renal insufficiency, proteinuri