Immunoexpression of cyclin D1 in colorectal carcinomas is not correlated with survival outcome

BACKGROUND: Colon and colorectal cancer (CRC) research has entered a new era with recent updates of molecular events and prognostic markers. Among other prognostic markers, exaggerated expression of nuclear CCND1 has key role in tumour pathogenesis and metastases of CRC and has also been claimed to predict response to treatment. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate the prognostic and predictive value of CCND1 in CRC and the correlation of CCND1 expression with the different clinicopathological parameters. METHODS: Paraffin blocks from 117 primary CRC were retrieved from the archives of the Department of Pathology at King Abdulaziz University. Tissue microarrays were designed and constructed. The immunostaining of CCND1 was performed and analysed. RESULTS: There were more cases with low nuclear immunoexpression of CCND1 in both primary tumours and nodal metastasis (p <0.001). Cyclin D1 did not show association with clinicopathological features except with lymphovascular invasion. Low nuclear immunoexpression of CCND1 was associated with negative lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.046). There was no statistically significant correlation between CCND1 immunoexpression and survival probability (Log Rank = 2.474, p = 0.116). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that CCND1 immunoexpression cannot be used as a predictor of survival in CRC. It also shows no significant correlation with clinicopathological features except with lymphovascular invasion.