Colorectal Mucinous Adenocarcinoma: The Clinicopathologic Features and Significance of p16 and p53 Expression

This study was designed to examine the clinicopathologic features and p53 and p16 expressions in colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma.

The clinicopathologic features of 36 patients with colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma were analyzed and compared with 228 patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas. The p53 and p16 expressions in the colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma were studied by immunohistochemistry.

Colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma accounted for 14 percent of colorectal cancer. The median age at presentation was 67 years. Family history of colorectal cancer in their first-degree relatives was seen in 14 percent of these patients. Fifty-six percent of the carcinomas were located in the proximal colorectum, most commonly in the transverse colon. Two patients had ulcerative colitis. Compared with the usual colorectal adenocarcinoma, colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma was found more often in proximal colorectum (P = 0.002), larger (P = 0.05), and in advanced stages (P = 0.018). Forty-four percent (n = 16) of the colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma showed p53 expression. All the patients with colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma with a positive family history of colorectal adenocarcinoma had tumors that showed p53 expression (P = 0.012). Seventy-eight percent (n = 28) of the tumors showed p16 expression. The median survival of the patients with these tumors was 23 months. The survival of these patients with colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma was poorer if the lesions were of advanced stages (P = 0.023) or with family history of colorectal cancer (P = 0.0015). Also, patients with colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma that did not express p16 and p53 had better survival than other patients (P = 0.04).

Colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma had distinctive clinicopathologic features. Tumor staging, family history of colorectal cancer, and status of p53 and p16 expressions might predict prognosis in these patients.