Prognostic significance of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) expression in patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: High mobility group 1 (HMGB1) is a highly conserved non-histone nucleosomal protein in mammals. We investigated the clinical significance of HMGB1 expression in colorectal cancer (CRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression of HMGB1 mRNA in 140 tumor and normal tissues from CRC patients was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We immunohistochemically investigated HMGB1 expression in tumor and metastatic lymph nodes in CRC. RESULTS: HMGB1 expression was significantly higher in tumor than in normal tissues. High HMGB1 expression was associated with larger tumor volumes, higher rates of lymphatic invasion, more frequent lymph node metastases and poorer prognoses for overall survival. Multivariate analyses showed that HMGB1 expression was an independent prognostic indicator of overall survival. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that HMGB1 was overexpressed in both CRC tissues and regional lymph node metastases. CONCLUSION: Investigating HMGB1 expression may be a predictor of postoperative lymph node metastasis and prognosis in CRC.