Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39495028›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of clinical pathology2025

High α-SMA expression in the tumor stroma is associated with adverse clinical parameters in mismatch repair-proficient colorectal cancers only.

Declan J Sculthorpe, Amy Denton, Wakkas Fadhil, Dewi Rusnita, Mohammad Ilyas, Abhik Mukherjee

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of clinical pathology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Declan J SculthorpeMolecular Pathology Research, Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7557-8454
Amy DentonMolecular Pathology Research, Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.ORCID 0009-0002-9279-7899
Wakkas FadhilMolecular Pathology Research, Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Dewi RusnitaMolecular Pathology Research, Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Mohammad IlyasMolecular Pathology Research, Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Abhik MukherjeeMolecular Pathology Research, Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.

Funding

Bowel Cancer UK 19PG0032Bowel Research UK
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesAs mismatch repair status confers differential prognosis in colorectal cancers, this study aimed to determine associations of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) protein expression in mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) and mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) colorectal tumors with clinicopathologic and prognostic features.

methodsTissue microarrays from patients with colorectal cancer, immunostained with α-SMA, were assessed through digital image analysis. Total (n = 962), pMMR (n = 782), and dMMR (n = 156) stromal H-scores were assessed for associations with clinicopathologic and survival data.

resultsHigher α-SMA expression was correlated with pMMR status (P = 5.2223 × 10-8). In the pMMR subgroup, higher α-SMA stromal expression at the tumor periphery was correlated with higher T stage (P = .002), perineural invasion (P = .038), infiltrative tumor edge (P = .01), involved nodal status (P = .036), metastases (P = .013), synchronous metastases (P = .007), recurrence (P = .004), and both 3-year and 5-year survival (P = .018). dMMR tumors showed no significant correlations with α-SMA staining.

conclusionsThe findings highlight that immunostaining with α-SMA in pMMR colorectal tumors, especially at the tumor periphery, has the potential to identify patients with adverse prognostic features. Digital assessment of α-SMA may offer improved objectivity, accuracy, economy of time, and risk stratification for management.

Indexed as

ActinsBiomarkers, TumorColorectal NeoplasmsDNA Mismatch RepairAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisStromal CellsTissue Array AnalysisACTA2 protein, humanActinsBiomarkers, Tumorbiomarker analysiscolorectal cancerdigital image analysisDNA mismatch repairimmunohistochemistryα-SMA

Identifiers

PMID39495028
PMCPMC11890275

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.