Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) immunohistochemical expression is correlated with cell cycle-related molecules in human colon cancer.

The aim of this study was to examine glucocorticoid receptor (GR) immunohistochemical expression in colon cancer histopathological specimens and to correlate it with clinicopathological parameters, tumor proliferative capacity, cell cycle-related molecule expression, and patients' survival. Primary tumoral samples from 91 colon cancer patients were immunostained for the detection of GR, cyclins D1 and E, Rb protein (pRb), p16, p21, and Ki-67, using the streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase technique. GR expression was correlated with tumor histopathological characteristics and proliferative capacity, cell cycle-related molecule expression, and patients' survival. GR positivity was prominent in 44 of 91 (48%) colon cancer cases and was positively correlated with the expression of cell cycle-related molecules pRb (P = 0.008) and p16 (P = 0.002), while lack of correlation was noted with cyclins D1 and E and p21. GR expression was not correlated with tumor location, grade of differentiation, Dukes' stage, lymph node and liver metastasis, venous invasion, tumor proliferative capacity (evident by Ki-67-labeling status) and patient survival. Our findings support evidence for GR participation in the biological mechanisms underlying the carcinogenic evolution in the colon, implying the use of glucocorticoids as an adjuvant treatment for cell cycle modulation in colon cancer cells.