[Expression of metallothionein and FasL in colorectal cancer and its clinical significance].

Objective: To study the expression of metallothionein (MT) and FasL in colorectal cancer and their relation to lymph node and liver metastasis.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR were used to detect expression of MT and FasL in protein and mRNA levels in 93 cases of colorectal cancer.

Results: The rates of MT expression in primary foci, non-cancerous colon mucosa, lymph node metastasis and liver metastasis were 58.1%, 32.3%, 81.1%, 64.3% respectively. And the rates of FasL expression were 41.9%, 19.4%, 62.3%, and 92.9% respectively. The positive rates of MT and FasL in primary foci, liver and lymph node metastasis were higher than that in non-cancerous mucosa (chi(2) = 35.2421, 57.5152, P < 0.01). MT expression rate in lymph node metastasis was higher than that in primary foci (chi(2) = 8.0565, P < 0.01). In liver metastasis, FasL expression rate was higher than in lymph node metastasis and primary foci (chi(2) = 8.6674, 22.4455, P < 0.01). The positive rates of MT and FasL in Dukes stage C and D were higher than that in Dukes stage A and B (chi(2) = 18.8871, 25.1650, P < 0.01). And higher rates of MT and FasL expression were observed in low differentiation adenocarcinoma and mucus adenocarcinoma than in middle-high differentiation adenocarcinoma (chi(2) = 11.1546, 9.2239, P < 0.05). High MT mRNA level was found in lymph node metastasis and high FasL mRNA level in liver metastasis.

Conclusions: Enhanced expression of MT and FasL was associated significantly with lymph node and liver metastasis of colorectal cancer. Assay of MT and FasL expression has prognostic values for colorectal cancer patients.