대한대장항문학회

The CD44 has been known a lymph node homing receptor on circulating lymphocytes.<br>CD44 spliced variants have been found to be overexpressed in human cancers and meta<br>static cancers. The variant CD44v 6-7 in particular has been suggested to have a potential<br>role in tumor metastasis. It has been reported that histopathological examination could<br>occaisionally miss lymph node micrometastasis. Purpose: The aim of this study was to<br>investigate the role of CD44v in metastasis of rectal carcinoma to the pelvic lateral lymph<br>nodes around the obturator nerve, obturator vessel and superior vesical artery. Methods:<br>Thirty pelvic lateral lymph nodes reported normal histopathologically from 22 patients with<br>rectal carcinomas, 22 rectal carcinomas and their corresponding colonic mucosas. We have<br>used RT-PCR for the detection of CD44 gene products (CD44v and CD44 v6-7) in samples.<br>Results: The expression rates of CD44v were 2/22 (9%) for normal colonic mucosa, 20/22<br>(90%) for cancer tissues, and 4/30 (13.3%) for pelvic lateral lymph nodes. The rates of<br>CD44v6-7 were also 2/22 (9%) for normal colonic mucosa 20/22 (90%) for cancer tissues, but<br>7/30 (23.3%) for pelvic lateral lymph nodes. Conclusions: The analysis of CD44v might be<br>useful for determination of pelvic lateral lymph nodes metastasis, but it should not be used as<br>a metastatic marker in general for rectal cancer patients.<br>