Fak Expression As A Prognostic Marker In Colorectal Cancer: A Single Institution Study Of 298 Patients.

623Background: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is an attractive therapeutic target in solid cancers, but there is no method for patient selection based on FAK expression nor biomarker for therapeutic response. Previous FAK expression studies were not standardized and showed varying correlations. This single-institution study aims to define FAK expression patterns in colorectal cancer (CRC) and correlate with patient outcomes and expression in other solid cancers. Methods: We analyzed 635 samples from 298 patients (pt) with CRC using tissue microarrays (TMAs) stained for FAK and scored 0-3 by a single pathologist. The TMAs contained samples of 298 primary tumors with 290 matching normal tissue and 47 matching metastases. As an internal control, we examined FAK and outcomes in 135 breast cancer pt and 145 melanoma pt. FAK expression and pt outcomes were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis exact and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: FAK expression correlated with aggressive phenotype in CRC primaries. Matching nor...