HuR, human family embryonic-lethal abnormal vision-like protein, can bind to mRNA and stabilizes the nucleic acid in the cytoplasm, resulting in more efficient translation. HuR is predominantly present in the nucleus and shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm. HuR stabilizes cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) mRNA in several cancers, including breast, stomach, lung and brain cancer.
We investigated the expression and cellular location of HuR, as well as evaluated Cox-2 expression in 79 colorectal cancer patients with the use of immunohistochemical methods. The biological implications of HuR localization and Cox-2 expression in colorectal carcinoma were evaluated.
Nuclear HuR expression was observed in 59 (74.7%) tumors and cytoplasmic HuR expression was seen in 25 (31.6%) tumors. Cox-2 immunoreactivity was noted in 42 (53%) tumors. The expression of cytoplasmic HuR was significantly associated with Cox-2 expression (p=0.004). Cytoplasmic expression of HuR showed a correlation with lymphatic invasion (p=0.025) and the presence of a lymph node metastasis (p=0.027). The presence of nuclear HuR showed no correlation with Cox-2 expression or any other of the clinicopathological parameters that were examined.
These results suggest that cytoplasmic translocation of HuR is associated with Cox-2 expression for some colorectal carcinomas.
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Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) may metastasize to almost any organ, but metastasis to the small bowel is rare. Small bowel metastasis from RCC can induce obstruction or bleeding, and perforation can also be induced in rare case. Yet RCC metastasis to the small bowel is unlikely to be a direct cause of intussusceptions. A few cases of intussusceptions caused by small intestinal metastasis of RCC have been reported, but multiple small intestinal intussusceptions are extremely rare. We report here on a 47-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency room with acute abdominal pain. He had undergone radical nephrectomy 2 years previously due to left RCC. The abdominal CT scan revealed enhanced masses with the "target" sign that suggested enteric intussusceptions in the jejunum. Eight pedunculated masses within the small intestinal lumen led to intussusceptions at 30 and 150 cm distal to Treitz ligament. Three segmental resections of the small intestine and functional end to end anastomosis were done. The patient recovered uneventfully from this operation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the 1st report of metastases from RCC that presented as synchronous intraluminal polypoid tumors, and these tumors served as the lead points for two intussusceptions in the jejunum.
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