In a 380-case study of stage II/III colorectal cancers randomized to adjuvant chemotherapy or to surgery only, maspin was found in most of the tumor cases with predominantly nuclear expression, and a significant treatment benefit was found in patients with low maspin expression but not in individuals with medium or high expression, although maspin expression levels were not significantly correlated with clinical outcomes in rectal cancer or control groups (17). This evidence concerns the gene SERPINB5 and rectal cancer.