CD133 is a selective marker of CRC?

The aim of our study is to evaluate the surface glycoprotein CD133 as marker of cancer stem cells, as independent prognostic pattern of survival and its positive expression ratio to a chemotherapy increased resistance.

The study include our patient, affected by colorectal cancer (CRC) and underwent to surgery at University Hospital of Parma, with curative intent, with a follow up of 5 years; 47 cases were considered. All the cancer-case was considered independently by the histological grade. The monoclonal antibody CD133/1 (clone AC133-MAC, Miltenyi Bioetec, Auburn CA 95602, USA) that recognizes the epitope 1 of CD133 was utilized for the immunohistochemical process.

On the total of 47 patients taken in exam, 8 were excluded for lack of date, 13 were lost during the follow-up. The final number of patients included in the study was 26(17 males and 9 females), medium age of 72.2 years. 2 Stage I, 8 Stage II A, 1 II B, 2 III A, 5 III B, 5 IIIC and 3 IV. Despite for 1, 25 on 26 patients were positive to CD133 (96.5 %), with different dye intensity, directly related at the positive cell pull. The CD133 positivity wasn't therefore related at any other clinic-pathological characteristic.

The results obtained from our study goes in the same direction with others, that confirm a high representation of CD133 on the colic tumoral epithelium. It will be appropriate to do prospected and randomized studies, with a larger casistic, utilizing similar methods and a patients populations with more uniform characteristics, to verify the real role of CD133 and other molecules potentially marker of tumoral stem cell (TSC).