Epithelial-mesenchymal transition of tumor budding in colorectal cancer: the mystery of CD44-positive stromal cells

Total loss of E-cadherin (29 cases) was associated with β-catenin nuclear translocation in the invasion front.In all of the 29 cases with E-cadherin negativity/β-catenin translocation in the invasion front, the CD44 was negative or focally expressed in the CRC cells and diffusely marked the budding cells released through the stromal area (Figure).Tumor stroma should be more attentively evaluated in patients with CRC as a possible prognostic factor. 1 N. Yamada, T. Sugai, M. Eizuka, Tumor budding at the invasive front of colorectal cancer may not be associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, um, athol, Vol. 60, 2017, 151-159 2 S. Gurzu, C. Silveanu, A. Fetyko, V. Butiurca, Z. Kovacs, I. Jung, Systematic review of the old and new concepts in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of colorectal cancer, World J Gastroenterol, Vol. 22, 2016, 6764-6775