Abstract

BACKGROUND
Cathepsin is associated with tumorigenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis through its ability to induce degradation of extracellular matrix components.
METHODS
To investigate the correlation between cathepsin expression and tumor progression, invasion depth or nodal metastasis, immunohistochemical staining for cathepsins B, H and L were done on 20 hyperplastic polyps, 48 adenomas, and 67 adenocarcinomas of the colon. Evaluation of the expression of cathepsins B, H and L was based on the percentage of neoplastic cells that stained positive for any given cathepsin.
RESULTS
Cathepsin B expression was significantly higher in adenocarcinomas than adenomas (29.33 vs 5.48%), but was not associated with the degree of differentiation, depth of invasion and nodal status of the tumors. Expression of cathepsins H and L was absent or low in both adenomas and adenocarcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that cathepsin B is involved in progression of a subset of colonic adenomas, while cathepsins H and L are not.

• Keywords: Cathepsin;Colon;Adenoma;Adenocarcinoma