α(1,6)Fucosyltransferase expression is an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival in colorectal carcinoma.

We previously reported that α(1,6)fucosyltransferase (Enzyme class 2.4.1.68) activity and expression are increased in colorectal cancer, suggesting a role for this enzyme in tumor development and progression. However, the possible impact of α(1,6)fucosyltransferase activity or expression on clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer patients has never been studied. Thus, the present study was conducted to determine the value of α(1,6)fucosyltransferase as a prognostic factor for colorectal cancer. α(1,6)Fucosyltransferase expression was analyzed using immunohistochemistry in 141 colorectal tumors, and α(1,6)fucosyltransferase activity was determined in 39 tumors. A complete standardized follow-up of patients was documented until the end of the observation period of 5 years or patient death. Univariate analysis demonstrated the absence of a correlation between enzyme activity and disease evolution. However, in patients with moderate or strong α(1,6)fucosyltransferase expression, a significant decrease in the overall (P = .04) and disease-free (P = .03) survival rates was observed. In addition, when local and distant disease recurrence were considered separately, enzyme expression was found to correlate with local tumor recurrences (P = .01). Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that α(1,6)fucosyltransferase expression has independent value for predicting tumor recurrences and, specifically, local recurrences. These findings suggest that α(1,6)fucosyltransferase expression may be a good indicator of poor prognosis in colorectal cancer and, therefore, a helpful tool to choose the most effective treatment.