Expressions of Fas/FasL in colorectal carcinoma and adjacent mucosal tissues

Objective To study the expression of Fas/FasL in colorectal carcinoma and adjacent mucosal tissues, and its biological implication. Methods Fifty colorectal carcinoma specimens were collected and all the specimens were made consecutive paraffin sections from the normal colorectal, 5 cm distance around, adjacent mucosal and colorectal carcinoma tissues. The expression of Fas/FasL was analyzed by immunohistochemistry for the difference in the above-mentioned tissues. Results Fas and FasL positive expression rates of colorectal carcinoma and adjacent mucosal tissues were more different than that of normal one (P 0.05). There was no significant difference on the expression of Fas/FasL in carcinoma with different differentiation grades. Conclusion Down-regulation of Fas expression and up-regulation of FasL expression are early and frequent events associated with the evolution of colorectal carcinoma.