DPC4 expression in the small intestinal adenocarcinomas

• Published in: Journal of pathology and translational medicine Vol. 46; no. 5; pp. 415 - 422
• Main Authors: Lee, Sun Jae, Yu, Eunsil, Bae, Young Kyung, Jang, Kee-Taek, Kim, Joon Mee, Bae, Han-Ik, Hong, Seung-Mo, Yoon, Ghil Suk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Society of Pathologists, Korean Society for Cytopathology 01.10.2012; The Korean Society of Pathologists and The Korean Society for Cytopathology; 대한병리학회
• Subjects: Original; Pancreas; Proteins; Small intestine; Tumors; 병리학; Adenocarcinoma; Immunohistochemistry; Smad4/DPC4; Intestine, small
• ISSN: 1738-1843; 2383-7837; 2092-8920; 2383-7845
• DOI: 10.4132/KoreanJPathol.2012.46.5.415

Small intestinal adenocarcinomas (SACs) are rare malignancies of the alimentary tract with uncertain carcinogenesis. We investigated the expression of deleted in pancreatic cancer 4 (DPC4) in 188 cases of surgically resected SACs, using tissue microarray technology. Twenty-four of the 188 tumors showed complete loss of Smad4/DPC4 expression in cytoplasm (score, 0; 12.8%). Eighty-four and 31 cases were moderately and strongly positive, respectively (score, 2 and 3; 44.7% and 16.5%, respectively) and 49 cases were focally or weakly stained (score, 1; 29.1%). Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the expression of Smad4/DPC4 was related to an increased risk of lymphatic invasion but not to other clinicopathological features of the tumors (tumor location, differentiation, growth pattern, T stage, direct invasion, vascular invasion, and nodal metastasis). There was no significant association between Smad4/DPC4 expression and patient survival. The present research is the first study to evaluate Smad4/DPC4 expression in a large sample of SACs with clinicopathologic correlation. Future studies should focus on the immunohistochemical and molecular characteristics of SACs to clarify their tumorigenesis.