Background: Caudal-related home box gene two (CDX2) is home box domain containing transcription factor that is important in the development and differentiation of the intestine. Aim of the study: to examine the expression of Caudal-related home box gene two in a series of colorectal and gastric adeno carcinomas, and correlate its expression with different clinic pathological parameters including: tumor type grade stage and compare its expression between the two malignancies.
Material and Method: this is a retrospective study of a total of fifty cases including twenty five cases of colorectal carcinomas and twenty five cases of gastric adenocarcinoma were collected from the histopathology laboratory department of gastroenterology and hepatology teaching in Baghdad (from January 2021 to January 2022); slides were prepared from paraffin blocks and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin for histopathological revision and others were stained immunohistochemically with CDX2, CDX2 expression was semi-quantitatively scored. Correlation between clinic pathological parameters and CDX2 expression was done.
Results: Regarding the twenty-five cases of colorectal adenocarcinoma: age range was (45-85) years,15 (60%) of cases were males, 10 (40%) of them were females, most common cases 23 (92%) were grade 2, and most common 18 (72%) of the cases were stage T3, most common cases 16 (64%) cases had no lymph node involvement (N0), all the cases showed positivity for or CDX2,17 (68%) of cases had CDX2 score (3) while 8 (32%) of them had CDX2 score (2). Regarding the twenty five cases of gastric adenocarcinoma: age range was (24-69) years,17 (68%) of were males, 8 (32%) of them were females, most common 14 (56%) of the cases were grade (2), and most common stage 20 (80%) of the cases were stage T3,most common cases 7 (28%) had no lymph node involvement (N0), most 15 (60%) of the cases showed positivity for or CDX2, 9 (36%) of cases had CDX2 score (1), 5 (20%) of cases showed score (2),1 (4%) of cases showed score (3), while 10 (40%) of the cases were negative for CDX2 (score 0).
Conclusion: CDX2 marker is already proven as highly sensitive in colorectal adenocarcinoma. There was a significant correlation between CDX2 score and the site of the tumor (colorectal versus gastric).
