BACKGROUND:

Over expression of galectin-3 (gal-3) has been associated with tumor invasion and distant metastases, but few reports investigated the relation between gal-3 expression and prognosis in stage II colon cancer.

OBJECTIVE:

We studied the expressions of gal-3, E-cadherin, and vimentin in stage II colon cancer to identify predictive factors of clinical outcome.

METHODS:

Clinical and laboratory data from 117 consecutive patients of stage II colon cancer during 2008-2010 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Expressions of gal-3, E-cadherin, and vimentin in tumor tissue were investigated by immunohistochemistry. Potential correlations between these markers and various clinicopathological parameters as well as clinical outcomes were studied. Human colon cancer cell line SW480 was used to test the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inducing effects of gal-3 in vitro.

RESULTS:

High expression of tumoral gal-3 was associated with tumor size, poor differentiation and negatively related to low E-cadherin expression. Compare with adjacent normal colon tissue, most tumor tissues strongly expressed gal-3 and vimentin, but had lower E-cadherin expression. Univariate analysis showed that expressions of gal-3 and vimentin in tumor were predictors of tumor recurrence and overall survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that tumoral gal-3 expression was the only independent predictor of both tumor recurrence and overall survival after resection. Cell experiments and western blotting showed exogenous gal-3 could induce SW480 cells become more aggressive and express more hallmarks of EMT.

CONCLUSIONS:

Galectin-3 may be a useful marker for identification of poor prognosis in stage II colon cancer. Cell experiments and western blotting showed exogenous gal-3 could induce SW480 cells become more aggressive and express more hallmarks of EMT.