Expression of Pim-3 in colorectal cancer and its relationship with prognosis

There is increasing evidence suggesting that the establishment of Pim-3 is involved in tumorigenesis. This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinicopathological significance of Pim-3 in colorectal cancer (CRC). Clinical pathology data were collected from 410 CRC patients who received radical resection and were pathologically confirmed at the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center between October 2002 and December 2008. We compared the expression Pim-3 in the primary focus and liver metastasis and investigated the correlations with other clinical-pathological factors. Multivariate analysis showed that perioperative blood transfusion, local invasion, lymph node and liver metastasis, and Pim-3 expression were independent prognostic factors. The expression of Pim-3 in CRC was higher than that in normal tissues. Patients with positive expression had significant decreases in 5-year survival. Pim-3 expression showed a positive correlation with tumor cell differentiation, local infiltration, and lymph node and liver metastasis. In conclusion, Pim-3 might serve as a novel target and prognosis factor for colorectal cancer.