BACKGROUND: Many recent studies focus on the immunohistochemical evaluation of Bcl-2 expression, and its prognostic significance in colorectal cancer (CRC). Our aim was to investigate the presence of bcl-2 protein in the serum and to examine the association between its levels, stage and tumour load, in patients with CRC. METHODS: A commercially available ELISA was used for the estimation of bcl-2 levels, in 94 patients with different stages of CRC. Forty-eight healthy blood donors served as controls. Concentrations ranging 2SD above and below the controls median were accepted as "normal". RESULTS: bcl-2 was detected in the serum of patients with CRC. A significantly higher proportion of patients with non-metastatic disease (61%), had high serum bcl-2 values, compared to patients with metastatic disease (28%, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum bcl-2 in patients with CRC may reflect the degree of Bcl-2 expression in cancer tissue. Serum bcl-2 is easily determinable, and could be useful as a prognostic marker in CRC.
BACKGROUND: Many recent studies focus on the immunohistochemical evaluation of Bcl-2 expression, and its prognostic significance in colorectal cancer (CRC). Our aim was to investigate the presence of bcl-2 protein in the serum and to examine the association between its levels, stage and tumour load, in patients with CRC. METHODS: A commercially available ELISA was used for the estimation of bcl-2 levels, in 94 patients with different stages of CRC. Forty-eight healthy blood donors served as controls. Concentrations ranging 2SD above and below the controls median were accepted as "normal". RESULTS:bcl-2 was detected in the serum of patients with CRC. A significantly higher proportion of patients with non-metastatic disease (61%), had high serum bcl-2 values, compared to patients with metastatic disease (28%, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum bcl-2 in patients with CRC may reflect the degree of Bcl-2 expression in cancer tissue. Serum bcl-2 is easily determinable, and could be useful as a prognostic marker in CRC.