Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026
Author Spotlight: Investigating Immune Cell Dynamics in the Tumor Microenvironment — Challenges and Innovations in Cancer Prognosis
Published on: April 12, 2024
Hepatocyte Paraffin 1 Immunoreactivity in Early Colon Carcinogenesis
Sonia Nemolato1, Alberto Ravarino2, Daniela Fanni2
1Department of Cytomorphlogy, Division of Pathology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy; Corrisponding Author: Dipartimento di Citomorfologia, Divisione di Anatomia Patologica, Universita di Cagliari, Via Ospedale 46, 09124 Cagliari, Italy. Email: sonianemolato@libero.it; sonia.nemolato@tiscali.it.
Background:
This study was aimed at evaluating the correlation between Hepatocyte paraffin 1 (Hep par 1) and colorectal cancer.
Methods:
To this end, 50 intestinal biopsies were analyzed including 10 colorectal polyps with low grade dysplasia, 10 with high grade dysplasia, 10 colorectal adenocarcinomas, 10 specimens of normal ileum and 10 of normal colon mucosa. Tissue sections were immunostained for Hep par 1 utilizing a commercial antibody. Normal colonic mucosa did not express Hep par 1.
Results:
Immunoreactivity for Hep par 1 was detected in 20% of polyps with low grade dysplasia, 50% of polyps with high grade dysplasia and 60% of colorectal carcinomas. Hep par 1 was frequently detected in the deepest areas of adenocarcinomas mainly in infiltrating tumour cells.
Conclusions:
Our data show that Hep par 1 immunoreactivity in human colon carcinogenesis is correlated with progression from low grade to high grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma. In clinical practice, our data show that caution should be taken in utilizing Hep par 1 as the sole tool in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma from a liver metastasis of colon adenocarcinoma. Our data encourage further investigations into the potential role played by Hep par 1 in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis.
