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Prognostic significance of glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1) gene expression in rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiotherapy

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Abstract

Purpose

Most cancer cells exhibit increased glycolysis. The elevated glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression has been reported to be associated with resistance to therapeutic agents and a poor prognosis. We wondered whether GLUT1 expression was associated with the clinical outcome in rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT), and whether glycolysis inhibition could represent a novel anticancer treatment.

Methods

We obtained total RNA from residual cancer cells using microdissection from a total of 52 rectal cancer specimens from patients who underwent preoperative CRT. We performed transcriptional analyzes, and studied the association of the GLUT1 gene expression levels with the clinical outcomes. In addition, we examined each proliferative response of three selected colorectal cancer cell lines to a glycolysis inhibitor, 3-bromopyruvic acid (3-BrPA), with regard to their expression of the GLUT1 gene.

Results

An elevated GLUT1 gene expression was associated with a high postoperative stage, the presence of lymph node metastasis, and distant recurrence. Moreover, elevated GLUT1 gene expression independently predicted both the recurrence-free and overall survival. In the in vitro studies, we observed that 3-BrPA significantly suppressed the proliferation of colon cancer cells with high GLUT1 gene expression, compared with those with low expression.

Conclusion

An elevated GLUT1 expression may be a useful predictor of distant recurrence and poor prognosis in rectal cancer patients after preoperative CRT.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Motoko Ueeda and Yuka Kato for providing excellent technical assistance.

Conflict of interest

Susumu Saigusa and co-authors have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastrointestinal and Pediatric Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie, 514-8507, Japan

    Susumu Saigusa, Yuji Toiyama, Koji Tanaka, Yoshinaga Okugawa, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Kohei Matsushita, Keiichi Uchida, Yasuhiro Inoue & Masato Kusunoki

  2. Department of Innovative Surgery, Division of Reparative Medicine, Institute of Life Sciences, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie, Japan

    Masato Kusunoki

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  1. Susumu Saigusa
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  2. Yuji Toiyama
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Correspondence to Susumu Saigusa.

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Saigusa, S., Toiyama, Y., Tanaka, K. et al. Prognostic significance of glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1) gene expression in rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiotherapy. Surg Today 42, 460–469 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-011-0027-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-011-0027-2

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