Department of Coloproctological Surgery, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
J Gastrointest Cancer. 2021 Mar;52(1):237-242. doi: 10.1007/s12029-020-00392-1.
Angiopoietin (Ang), a ligand of the endothelium-specific receptor Tie-2 system, is associated with tumor growth and progression that depend on angiogenesis. The present study aimed to investigate the predictive potential of angiopoietin factors in incurable stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who have undergone primary tumor resection.
The study included 40 consecutive patients with incurable stage IV CRC who underwent primary tumor resection at our hospital between 2011 and 2015. Patients were divided into subgroups of low and high Ang-1, Ang-2, and Tie-2. Patient age and sex, tumor location, TNM stages, vascular invasion, chemotherapy, and overall survival were assessed.
The cut-off values of Ang-1, Ang-2, and Tie-2 were 0.4, 1.8, and 15.0 ng/mL, respectively. Overall survival was significantly longer in the low Ang-2 group than in the high Ang-2 group. High Ang-2 levels were associated with age, N stage, and chemotherapy. Immunofluorescent staining of Ang-2 revealed that endothelial cells and cancer cells expressed Ang-2 in each case.
Our findings suggest that the serum Ang-2 level is associated with disease progression and is an important predictor of mortality in incurable stage IV CRC patients. Thus, it may be a useful prognostic biomarker in these patients.
血管生成素（Ang）是内皮细胞特异性受体 Tie-2 系统的配体，与依赖血管生成的肿瘤生长和进展有关。本研究旨在探讨不可治愈的 IV 期结直肠癌（CRC）患者在接受原发肿瘤切除术后，血管生成素因子的预测潜力。
本研究纳入了 2011 年至 2015 年在我院接受原发肿瘤切除的 40 例不可治愈的 IV 期 CRC 连续患者。将患者分为 Ang-1、Ang-2 和 Tie-2 低表达和高表达亚组。评估了患者年龄和性别、肿瘤位置、TNM 分期、血管侵犯、化疗和总生存期。
Ang-1、Ang-2 和 Tie-2 的截断值分别为 0.4、1.8 和 15.0ng/mL。低 Ang-2 组的总生存期明显长于高 Ang-2 组。高 Ang-2 水平与年龄、N 分期和化疗有关。Ang-2 的免疫荧光染色显示，内皮细胞和癌细胞在每种情况下均表达 Ang-2。
我们的研究结果表明，血清 Ang-2 水平与疾病进展相关，是不可治愈的 IV 期 CRC 患者死亡的重要预测指标。因此，它可能是这些患者有用的预后生物标志物。
