Reduced E-cadherin immunohistochemical expression in node-negative breast carcinomas correlates with 10-year survival.
E-cadherin immunodetection was performed on frozen sections, using an immunoperoxidase procedure and with computer-assisted analysis of digitized colored microscopic images in a series of 179 breast carcinomas. Quantitative immunocytochemical assays were correlated with follow-up (129 months). The results showed that reduced E-cadherin immunocytochemical expression in tumors (cut point, 4%) significantly correlated with shorter overall survival in node-negative patients (Kaplan Meier log rank test). But E-cadherin immunostained expression (cut point, 4%) did not correlate with metastasis-free or recurrence-free survival. In multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazards regression model), E-cadherin prognostic significance for overall survival in node-negative patients was independent of the tumor size, grade, and histologic type. The results suggest that reduced E-cadherin expression detected in optimum technical conditions (frozen samples and quantitative immunohistochemistry) is an independent indicator of poor survival in node-negative patients and may be clinically relevant for the treatment of patients with breast carcinomas.
Charpin
C
C
Department of Pathology, Faculté de Médecine Timone, IFR-CI, and Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France.
Garcia
S
S
Bonnier
P
P
Martini
F
F
Andrac
L
L
Choux
R
R
Lavaut
M N
MN
Allasia
C
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
D015820:Cadherins