Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the status of the c‑Myc‑related molecule Mina53 and the clinical impact of Mina53 nuclear localization in patients with stage II and III colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients (n=250) who underwent complete resection of CRC at our department were enrolled in this study, and tissue microarray samples were constructed from resected specimens. Mina53 expression in the nuclei of tumor cells was analyzed using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Patients were classified into Mina53 nuclear localization‑-positive and ‑negative groups, and statistical correlations with clinicopathological factors were investigated. Relapse‑free survival (RFS) was compared using the Kaplan‑Meier method and the Cox proportional hazard model. Tumor recurrence was significantly higher in the Mina53‑positive group than in the Mina53‑negative group. Moreover, in RFS analysis, patients in the Mina53‑positive group exhibited significantly poorer prognosis than patients in the Mina53‑negative group. In the univariate analysis, histological type, adjuvant chemotherapy status, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) status, and Mina53 status were prognostic factors for RFS. Furthermore, in the subgroup analysis, patients in the Mina53‑positive group with stage III disease treated with adjuvant chemotherapy exhibited significantly poorer prognosis in RFS than patients in the Mina53‑negative group. In the univariate and multivariate analyses, histological type and Mina53 status were significantly associated with RFS. Thus, our findings revealed that Mina53 was an important indicator of prognosis in patients with stage III CRC treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.