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Detection, Role and Prognostic Value of Cancer-associated Fibroblasts in Colorectal Cancer

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Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) — mesenchymal cells in the tumor stroma, play one of the leading roles in tumor progression in many different tumors, including colorectal cancer. Scientists have described many markers for CAFs, but none of them is specific. We performed immunohistochemistry tests using five antibodies (αSMA, POD, FAP, PDGFRα, PDGFRβ) to investigate CAFs in three zones of 49 colorectal adenocarcinomas: apical, central, and invasive edge. We revealed the reliable correlation between high PDGFRβ and PDGFRα value in the apical zone and deeper invasion (T3–T4) (p = 0.0281 and p = 0.0137). High αSMA level in apical zone (p = 0.0001), αSMA level in central zone (p = 0.019), POD level in apical zone (p = 0.0222), POD level in central zone (p = 0.0206) and PDGFRβ level in apical zone (p = 0.014) correlated reliably with the presence of metastasis in lymphatic nodules. For the first time, focused on the inner layer of CAF adjacent to tumor complexes. We observed that cases with inner αSMA expression were significantly more often (p = 0.023) characterized by the presence of regional lymph node metastasis compared with cases with mix of CAF markers (p = 0.007) and with cases with inner POD expression (p = 0.024). The found relationships between the level of markers and the presence of metastases indicate their clinical significance.

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Funding

We thank all the participants for their contribution to the study. This work was sponsored by Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR, grant «Perspektiva» № 19-315-60006) and was carried out using equipment purchased under the development program of the Lomonosov Moscow State University until 2021.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Medical Research and Educational Center, Moscow, Russia

    Nina Alexandrovna Oleynikova, I. A. Mikhailov, O. A. Kharlova, T. Yu. Zavidnyi, N. V. Danilova & P. G. Mal`kov

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  1. Nina Alexandrovna Oleynikova
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  2. I. A. Mikhailov
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  3. O. A. Kharlova
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  4. T. Yu. Zavidnyi
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  5. N. V. Danilova
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  6. P. G. Mal`kov
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Contributions

Nina Alexandrovna Oleynikova, MD, PhD — Conceptualization, Data Curation, Investigation, Methodology, Project Administration, Validation, Visualization

Ilya Alexandrovich Mikhailov, graduate student — Formal Analysis, Review & Editing

Timofey Yurevich Zavidnyi, student — Data Curation, Investigation, Writing (Original Draft Preparation)

Nataliya Vladimirovna Danilova, MD, PhD — Resources, Visualization, Review & Editing

Olga Andreevna Kharlova, MD, PhD — Funding Acquisition, Resources

Pavel Georgievich Malkov, MD, PhD, Professor — Project Administration, Software, Supervision

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Correspondence to Nina Alexandrovna Oleynikova.

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Oleynikova, N.A., Mikhailov, I.A., Kharlova, O.A. et al. Detection, Role and Prognostic Value of Cancer-associated Fibroblasts in Colorectal Cancer. Indian J Surg Oncol 14, 186–193 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13193-022-01653-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13193-022-01653-0

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