[Beta-catenin expression and its significance for metastasis in curatively operated rectum carcinoma]

Two selected groups of 77 patients each (matched for age, sex, UICC stage and year of surgery) were compared. All patients were curatively operated on for rectal cancer by surgery alone. All remained locally disease-free, differing only in distant metachronous metastatic spread. beta-Catenin expression was investigated using immunohistochemical methods. Overexpression of nuclear beta-catenin was not correlated with disease-free survival or distant metachronous metastasis. Thus, this potential oncogen cannot be used as a prognostic marker in rectal cancer. Additionally, in four cases of intense nuclear staining, after DNA isolation and sequencing of exon 3, which encodes for the GSK-3 beta phosphorylation site, no mutations could be detected.