HVEM expression contributes to tumor progression and prognosis in human colorectal cancer

Herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM) has been recently suggested to play certain roles in cancer biology. We examined HVEM expression in human colorectal cancer (CRC) to reveal its clinical importance.

Immunohistochemical staining was carried-out in normal epithelium, benign and malignant lesions.

While intense HVEM expression was not observed in normal epithelium and hyperplastic polyps, 24% of adenoma and more than half of CRCs had high HVEM expression. In 234 CRCs, HVEM expression was significantly associated with tumor status and pathological stage. Patients with high HVEM expression had a significantly poorer prognosis than those with low expression. Importantly, HVEM status had an independent prognostic value in CRC. Furthermore, HVEM status was inversely corrected with the presence of tumor-infiltrating T-cells.

HVEM may play a critical role in tumor progression and immune evasion, and may also be a novel prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target in human CRC.