Publications

@article{Sculthorpe2025-jm,

title = {High α-SMA expression in the tumor stroma is associated  with adverse clinical parameters in mismatch repair-proficient  colorectal cancers only},

author = {Declan J Sculthorpe and Amy Denton and Wakkas Fadhil and Dewi Rusnita and Mohammad Ilyas and Abhik Mukherjee},

doi = {10.1093/ajcp/aqae145},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-03-01},

urldate = {2025-03-01},

journal = {Am. J. Clin. Pathol.},

volume = {163},

number = {3},

pages = {464\textendash472},

publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)},

abstract = {OBJECTIVES: As 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. METHODS: Tissue 

 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. RESULTS: Higher α-SMA expression was correlated with pMMR status (P = 5.2223 $times$ 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. 

 CONCLUSIONS: The 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.},

keywords = {biomarker analysis, colorectal cancer, digital image analysis, DNA mismatch repair, immunohistochemistry, α-SMA},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}