Expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and prognosis in colorectal cancer

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a 90-kDa cell surface glycoprotein and is known to be a member of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily of adhesion molecules. It has been suggested that ICAM-1 expression on cancer cells might have a role as a suppressor of tumor progression under the host immune surveillance system. We studied the correlation between the expression of ICAM-1 and clinicopathological factors, as well as infiltration of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in colorectal cancer. Resected specimens from 96 patients with colorectal carcinoma were investigated using immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody against ICAM-1. As a result, the incidence of lymph node or liver metastasis was significantly lower in patients with ICAM-1-positive tumors than in those with ICAM-1-negative tumors. Infiltration of TILs was more frequently observed in the ICAM-1-positive tumors than in the ICAM-1-negative tumors. The prognosis of the patients with ICAM-1-negative tumors was significantly poorer than that of those with ICAM-1-positive tumors. In conclusion, these findings suggested that ICAM-1 expression is closely associated with metastasis and may be a useful indicator of prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer.