EP206 - MLK4 Expression in Colorectal Cancer across Racial Groups

Sunday, May 11, 2025

8:38 AM – 8:43 AM PT

Location: Monitor 1, Sails Pavilion, Upper Level

ePoster Presenter(s)

HITESH KAPOOR, MBBS

Research Fellow
University Of Illinois Chicago
CHICAGO, IL, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Author(s)

PS

Piush Srivastava, n/a

Research Collaborator
UIC
Chicago, Illinois, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Nathan Kumar, BS (he/him/his)

Medical Student
University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine
Chicago, IL, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.
Narjes Sweis, MD

Research Fellow
The University of Illinois Chicago
chicago, IL, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.
Marhama Zafar, M.B.B.S. (she/her/hers)

Research Fellow
The University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.
MA

Mohamad A. Abdulhai, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.
AP

Alejandra Perez-Tamayo, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.
VC

Vivek Chaudhry, MD, FACS, FASCRS

Clin Prof of Surgery
University of Illinois
Chicago, Illinois, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
AR

Ajay Rana, n/a

Endowed Professor
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago 60612, Illinois, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

GG

Gerald Gantt, MD

Associate Professor of Surgery
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.

HITESH KAPOOR, MBBS: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Nathan Kumar, BS: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Narjes Sweis, MD: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Marhama Zafar, M.B.B.S.: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Mohamad A. Abdulhai, MD: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Alejandra Perez-Tamayo, MD: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Gerald Gantt, MD: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Image or Table (Do Not add text here):

Purpose/Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease, with the highest incidence and mortality rates observed in the African American population. MLK4 is a serine/threonine protein kinase and is the second most frequently mutated kinase in microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal carcinomas. The precise etiologies behind these significant population differences remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the differential expression levels of MLK4 in association with colon and rectal cancers across African American (AA), Caucasian (CA), and Hispanic/Latino (H/L) populations.

Methods/Interventions: We assessed MLK4 expression levels by immunohistochemistry in colorectal cancer specimens from patients of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. MLK4 expression was compared between these groups and correlated with various clinicopathological features. The differences in MLK4 expression were quantified using the histopathology IHC scoring system.

Results/Outcomes: A total of 9 patients were included in the study with 3 African American (AA), 3 Caucasian (CA), and 3 Hispanic/Latino (H/L) patients. The median age of the patients was 67 years (95% CI: 48–68). The cohort included 4 males and 5 females. Samples from 7 colon, 1 rectosigmoid, and 1 rectum adenocarcinoma were used. The distribution of colon cancer stages was as follows: 50% stage 3, 25% stage 2, and 25% stage 1. A significant difference in MLK4 expression was observed between colorectal cancer and normal tissue (p < 0.0001) in all 3 groups.

Conclusion/Discussion: MLK4 expression was elevated in colorectal tumors compared to normal tissues across all groups, with a significant increase observed specifically in African American and Caucasian populations. However, no racial disparities were detected within the normal or tumor groups themselves. Given the small sample size, further investigation is necessary to confirm statistical significance.