Assessment expression of the adhesion molecules, CD134 and CD137, in patients with colorectal cancer by flow cytometry.

The aim of the study was to assess the expression of adhesion molecules, CD134 and CD137, in the peripheral blood in correlation with clinical advancement, the histological grade, the size and type of tumour growth, tissue infiltration, and lymph node and metastases to lymph nodes and liver. The study involved 28 patients with primary colorectal cancer. The expression of both molecules was investigated on the day of the surgery, before the procedure and ten days after the operation by means of flow cytometry. The expression of CD134 was markedly higher, compared to CD137, both on the day of the surgery and ten days after the operation. A significant increase was observed in CD134 expression ten days after the surgery. CD137 expression increased with the higher stage of clinical advancement, but decreased with the enhancement of colon wall infiltration. CD134 showed a similar expression for all the stages of tumour clinical advancement.