Sun CB, et al. - This study was performed to examine the expression of annexin A5 in serum and tumor tissue of patients with colon cancer and to investigate it's clinical significance. Annexin A5 expression in cancer tissues was associated with lymph node metastasis and tumor grade for patients with colon cancer. In cancer tissues, the serum level of annexin A5 was related to annexin A5 expression and is of diagnostic relevance.

• The researchers included 93 patients with colon cancer, who were treated at their hospital between February 2013 and March 2016 in an observation group and 40 healthy individuals in a control group.
• They performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the serum level of annexin A5, whereas immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the expression of annexin A5 in cancer tissues.

• In the observation group, the serum level of annexin A5 was 0.184 ± 0.043 ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05).
• The researchers detected annexin A5 expression in 79.31% of the patients with lymph node metastasis, which was significantly higher than that in patients without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05).
• Furthermore, annexin A5 expression was detected in 86.96% of the patients with stage III to IV disease, which was significantly higher than that in patients with stage I to II disease (P < 0.05).
• In patients whose tumors were positive for annexin A5 expression, the serum level of annexin A5 was 0.215 ± 0.044 ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that in patients whose tumors were negative for annexin A5 expression (P < 0.05).
• In colon cancer tissues, the serum level of annexin A5 was correlated with annexin A5 expression (r = 0.312, P < 0.05).
• The sensitivity was 83.90%, and the specificity was 57.50% when a cutoff value of > 0.148 ng/mL for serum level of annexin A5 was used in the diagnosis of colon cancer.