Patients
CRC patients who underwent curative surgery at stages II or III at Iwate Medical University Hospital from January 2009 to December 2015 were included in the present study. A total of 286 patients included a first cohort (148 cases) and a second cohort for validation (138 cases). We used block randomization method in research design used to select and divide participants into different groups or conditions in order to avoid bias in the selection of two cohorts. Paraffin embedded tissues were well preserved, medical records were complete and patient status had been followed up, including overall survival and disease-free survival data that were confirmed through telephone interviews and by the mail. In addition, cases with invasion beyond the proper muscular layer were included for determination of the desmoplastic reaction [9]. Finally, patients who underwent preoperative chemoradiotherapy and emergency surgery were excluded. In addition, patients who had evidence of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer or familial adenomatous polyposis were not enrolled. The clinicopathological variables characterizing the patients included tumor location, stage and t stage, histological type, lymphatic/venous invasion and tumor budding. The variables were recorded according to the General Rules for Management of the Japanese Colorectal Cancer Association (Table 1) [14]. In addition, DR classification was determined based on Ueno’s classification [9].
This study was approved by the local ethics committee of Iwate Medical University (approval number MH2020-070), and all patients provided informed consent.
Determination of disease-free survival
We determined the duration of disease-free survival at which metastasis was discovered during the follow-up period (2 times/year to 3 times/year) using computed tomography.
Chemotherapeutic treatment after surgery for stage II or III CRC
Following surgery, Capecitabine or UFT/UZEL (Tegafur Uracil + Calcium Folinate) were administered in stage II CRC (20/140 cases), whereas FOLFOX, including the drugs leucovorin calcium (folinic acid), fluorouracil and oxaliplatin were used in stage III CRC (85/146 cases). The other 181 patients, including 120 cases in stage II and 61 cases in stage III did not receive additional chemotherapy following surgery.
Tissue microarray construction (TMA)
The TMAs were assembled using a manual tissue array (Azumaya Co, Tokyo, Japan). Five mm tissue cores were taken from each targeted lesion and placed into a recipient block containing 12 cores including 10 cancer tissues and 2 cores for control tissues (normal colon; CRC). After construction, 3-micron sections were cut and stained with hematoxylin and eosin on the initial slides to verify the histologic diagnosis. Serial sections were cut from the TMA block for immunohistochemical staining.
Immunohistochemistry
Microarray slides were incubated in 3% hydrogen peroxide to block endogenous peroxidase. Antigen retrieval was performed using an autoclave-based method, followed by incubation with the primary antibody overnight at 4°C in a high humidity cabinet. Slides were processed using the Dako Autostainer Universal Staining System (Dako, Glostrup, Denmark).12 Antibodies used in this study were classified into 2 subgroups: epithelial (cancer cells) and interstitial (cancer associated fibroblasts, CAF) markers. Antibodies targeting CAFs included the following: α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA, Dako 1A4), CD10 (Dako, 56C6), podoplanin (Dako, D2-40), fibroblast specific protein 1 (FSP1; S100A4, Dako, polyclonal), platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR-β; 28E1, Cell Signaling Technology), fibroblast association protein (FAP, Abcam, EPR20021) and tenascin-C (IBL, 4F10TT). For EMT, we utilized zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1, Sigma-Aldrich, polyclonal) and Twist-related protein 1 (TWIST1, Abcam, Twist2C1a). CAFs were recognized as “spindle-shaped cells” by experienced pathologists (T.S. and N.U.). Cytoplasmic staining of tumor cells was conducted with antibodies against α-SMA, CD10, podoplanin, FSP1, PDGFR-β, FAP and tenascin-C. Nuclear staining of fibroblasts was based on positivity for ZEB1 and TWIST1 expression. Furthermore, antibodies targeting cancer cells in this study included Ki-67 (Dako, MIB1) for proliferative activity, p53 (Dako, Do7) for p53 mutation, β-catenin (Dako, β-catenin-1) for activation of Wnt signaling, a central signal transducer in CRC, MMP7 (Daiichi Fine Chemical, 141-7B2) for cancer progression, E-cadherin (Dako, NCH-38) for cellular adhesion and HIF1-α (Novus Biologicals, polyclonal) for cancer-specific metabolic marker which may be associated with tumor progression. Detailed information of antibodies is summarized in supplementary Table 1.
Assessment of scoring of immunohistochemical expression
The expression of the markers was scored for both the intensity and extent of immunopositivity, as described in a previous report with slight modification [15]. The immunostaining intensity of the cancer cells and CAFs in the CRCs was classified into 4 categories as follows: negative, weak, moderate and strong. The immunostaining extent was semi-quantified as follows: 0%, 1-25%, 26-50%, 51-100%. The combination of intensity and extent was scored. Scores 2–3 were defined as a positive staining pattern, as shown in supplementaryTable 2. In addition, the score was also sub-classified into low (score 0-1) and high expression (score 2-3). Assessment of scoring was performed by two pathologists. If agreement was not obtained between the pathologists, we asked an additional pathologist regarding the assessment. Finally, the score was determined by agreement of more than two pathologists.
In the present study, a wide range of expression levels was observed for all the markers. Thus, we selected the deepest invasive region as a target area to measure the expression levels of markers.
Hierarchical analysis of the expression of CAF and EMT markers
Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed for clustering of the samples according to the expression level in order to achieve maximal homogeneity for each group and the greatest differences between the groups using open-access clustering software (Cluster 3.0 software; bonsai.hgc.jp/~mdehoon/software/cluster/software.htm). The clustering algorithm was set to centroid linkage clustering, which is the standard hierarchical clustering method used in biological studies.
Statistical analysis
Data were analyzed using JMP Pro 13.0 software (SAS, Tokyo, Japan). Data obtained for clinicopathological features (sex, location, pT, stage, histological type, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, tumor budding, desmoplastic reaction, overall survival, disease-free survival) and subgroup (subgroups 1, 2 and 3) were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. In addition, the comparison of the age distributions within each subgroup was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. We used Fisher's exact tests with a Bonferroni correction to compare the examined markers within each subgroup.
Kaplan–Meier analyses were performed using a log-rank test for survival analyses. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted with Cox proportional hazards model to identify statistical differences for prediction of lymph node metastasis. The level of significance was p< 0.05, and the confidence interval (CI) was determined at the 95% level.