Evaluation of Special AT-Rich Sequence-Binding Protein 2 (SATB2) Expression in Colonic Carcinoma, Immunohistochemical Study

Abstract

Background: Globally, colorectal cancer poses a significant oncologic challenge, with colonic carcinoma ranking as the third most prevalent cancer worldwide. In Egypt, it represents a noteworthy portion of both male and female cancer cases. The prognosis for colonic carcinoma remains poor due to the lack of early symptoms, emphasizing the need for effective biomarkers to predict prognosis and guide treatment strategies. This study aimed to evaluate SATB2 expression in colonic carcinoma by immunohistochemistry and assess correlation between SATB2 protein and clinicopathological parameters of colonic carcinoma. Methods: This retrospective study was carried out upon 50 cases of colonic adenocarcinoma obtained from the pathology department and early cancer detection unit at Benha Faculty of Medicine during the period of 2017 to 2021. Cases were selected on basis of availability of demographic data (age, sex) and clinicopathological data (Tumor site, tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node status, grade, TNM stage, lympho-vascular invasion and presence of distant metastasis). Results : There was a highly significant inverse statistical correlation between SATB2 expression and tumor grade, depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and tumor stage (P value <0.01). Also, there was a significant inverse statistical correlation between SATB2 expression and presence of lympho-vascular invasion (P value <0.05). Conclusion: SATB2 expression in colonic cancer aligns with key prognostic factors, making it a potential predictor of prognosis. Furthermore, SATB2 expression inversely correlates with tumor aggressiveness, suggesting it may indicate a favorable prognosis, while loss of SATB2 expression may imply a poorer prognosis in colonic cancer.