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Published on: July 20, 2019
High stromal nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) indicates poor prognosis in colorectal cancer
Mengmeng Song1, Ye Li2, Mingyong Miao3
1Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Purpose:
Nicotinamide n-methyltransferase (NNMT) has good biochemical activity and epigenetic regulation, and has been reported as a major metabolic regulator of cancer. The goal of this study was to investigate the significance of stromal NNMT expression in colorectal cancer (CRC).
Patients And Methods:
Stromal expression of NNMT in primary CRC, metastasis CRC, and their non-cancerous tissues from 1088 CRC patients was examined by immunohistochemistry. The associations between stromal NNMT expression and survival outcomes in 967 patients with stage I-III CRC were further evaluated with Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox model analyses.
Results:
NNMT expression was mainly sourced from stromal compartments and also elevated in CRC. Patients with high stromal NNMT (IHC-score ≥ 106) have a worse survival than those patients with low stromal NNMT. In multiple Cox analyses, high expression of stromal NNMT remained as an independent risk factor in CRC for disease-free survival with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.415 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.015-1.972) and disease-specific survival with a HR of 5.004 (95% CI, 2.301-10.883). In addition, high stromal NNMT expression in CRC also indicates the poor survival outcomes in patients with early stage CRC (stage I and II) and in patients who undergo chemotherapy.
Conclusion:
NNMT is mainly located in CRC stromal compartment. High stromal NNMT expression predicts an unfavorable postoperative prognosis.
