Association of Syndecan-1 with Angiogenesis-related Markers, Extracellular Matrix Components, and Clinicopathological Features in Colorectal Carcinoma

Syndecan-1 is a transmembrane heparansulfate proteoglycan, which regulates cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, cell-to-cell and cell-to-extracellular matrix adhesion and may influence malignant cell behavior. We investigated the alterations of syndecan-1 expression in colorectal cancer and analyzed the relationship between clinicopathological parameters, proliferation indices, angiogenic markers, and extracellular matrix components. Syndecan-1 protein expression observed in the tumorous epithelium was high in 52/97 (53.6%) of the studied cases, moderate in 20/97 (20.6%), and weak in 5/97 (5.22%) of the cases, and there was strong stromal expression in 34.02% of the tumors. Syndecan-1 expression was statistically correlated to VEGF expression in tumor (p=0.001) and vessels (p=0.007). In addition, there was a borderline correlation between syndecan-1 expression and tenascin (p=0.053). Patients with weak staining reaction had a more unfavorable prognosis (p=0.032) in univariate analysis. These results indicate the implication of syndecan-1 in the remodeling and angiogenesis of colorectal cancer tissue, through interaction with other extracellular matrix components and VEGF, probably influencing the tumor progression and aggressiveness.