BETA-CATENIN EXPRESSION IN COLORECTAL NEOPLASM AND ITS PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE- AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer ranks third among the most common cancer of male. Globally colorectal adenocarcinoma accounts for approximately 1.2 million new cases, and 600,000 deaths each year1. In India, the incidence of colorectal cancer is 4.3 and 3.4 per 100,000 male and female respectively2. Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is considered as the most preventable cancers because it arises from benign neoplasms, called polyps which evolve into colorectal carcinomas over many years. The aim of the study is to study the age, sex, site and clinical presentation of various colorectal neoplasm, to study expression of beta catenin in benign, premalignant and malignant tumors of colorectum and correlate the level of expression of beta catenin in various histological grades of colorectal carcinoma.