Background: We evaluated the relationship between biological behavior and microsatellite instability (MSI) status, with or without p53 status, in sporadic colorectal carcinoma.
Methods: MSI was analyzed with regard to biological features such as cellular proliferation and apoptotic cell death, in addition to clinicopathological features, in 87 patients with sporadic colorectal carcinoma.
Results: Fourteen (16.1%) of 87 tumors showed instability at two or more of the five loci examined (high-frequency MSI [MSI-H]). Four demonstrated instability at one locus (low-frequency MSI [MSI-L]), and 69 showed no instability (microsatellite-stable [MSS]). The MSI-H tumors tended to be located in the proximal colon and more often were mucinous carcinoma. The MSI-H tumors also tended to be in patients with multiple colorectal carcinomas and to demonstrate, rarely, an infiltrating growth pattern or venous invasion. The incidence of p53 protein overexpression in the MSI-H tumors was significantly lower than that in the MSI-L/MSS tumors (21% vs 54%). There was no significant difference in the proliferating-cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) labeling index (PI) or apoptotic index (AI) between the MSI-H and MSI-L/MSS tumors. The AI in the MSI-H tumors with p53 overexpression was significantly lower than that in the MSI-H tumors without p53 overexpression, and was also significantly lower than that in the MSI-L/MSS tumors with p53 overexpression. In the MSI-H tumors with p53 overexpression, no expression of BAX protein was found, and there was high expression of bcl-2 protein, resulting in a low BAX/bcl-2 ratio.
Conclusion: In sporadic colorectal carcinoma, an MSI-H tumor with p53 protein overexpression may display aggressive biological features.