Study of Ras p21 Expression and DNA Ploidy Pattern in Colorectal Cancer

Kimihiko Funahashi, Kazunori Tsujita, Masashi Watanabe, Yasushige Nagasawa, Tadahisa Ohgai, Kazuo Kobayashi, Kenzo Yanagita, Toshifumi Yoshio, Shiro Tsujimoto*

First Department of Surgery, Toho University School of Medicine
*Second Department of Pathology, Toho University School of Medicine

We studied ras p21 expression immunohistologically and DNA ploidy in 103 colorectal cancer patients. There was no correlation between the incidence of ras p21 expression and DNA ploidy pattern. Ras p21 was detected with higher frequency in advanced colorectal cancers. In the patients with both positive ras p21 expression and DNA aneuploidy, deep invasion, lymph node metastasis and lymphatic vessel invasion was revealed more frequent than in those who were negative for both parameters (p<0.05). Patients with negative ras p21 expression had a better outcome than those with positive ras p2l expression in the same DNA ploidy pattern. These results suggest that the prognosis of colorectal cancer is related to the presence or absence of ras p2l expression.

Key words
ras p21 expression, DNA ploidy pattern, colorectal cancer

Reprint requests
Kimihiko Funahashi First Department of Surgery, Toho University School of Medicine
6-11-1 Omorinishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo, l43 JAPAN

Accepted
January 8, 1992

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