A comparative study of the clinicopathological significance of E-cadherin and catenins (alpha, beta, gamma) expression in the surgical management of oral tongue carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
E-cadherin and catenins are important epithelial adhesion molecules in normal epithelium. Loss of E-cadherin-catenin adhesion is an important step in the progression of many epithelial cancers. E-cadherin and catenins expression in carcinoma of the tongue were evaluated in relation to their clinicopathological features and prognostic values.


METHODS
Immunohistochemical staining was carried out with E-cadherin and (alpha, beta, gamma)-catenin monoclonal antibodies for 85 surgical specimens of oral tongue carcinoma, nine matched metastatic lymph nodes, and seven locally recurrent tumours.


RESULTS
There was under-expression in 85% of E-cadherin, 94% of alpha-catenin, 89% of beta-catenin, and 83% of gamma-catenin in the primary tumours. There was no correlation of E-cadherin/catenin expression with sex, age, cancer stage, and differentiation. Nodal metastasis was found in 68% of patients with weak expression of gamma-catenin compared with 9% with strong expression in primary tumours (chi-square, P = 0.02). E-cadherin was a significant prognostic factor for survival and recurrence; patients with weak E-cadherin expression had 53% 5-year survival compared with 85% with strong expression (Wilcoxon, P = 0.0159).


CONCLUSIONS
Both E-cadherin and catenins were highly under-expressed in oral tongue carcinoma, metastatic lymph node, and recurrent tumour. gamma-catenin had predictive value for nodal metastasis. E-cadherin was, however, a more important prognostic factor for recurrence and survival.
Chow
V
V
Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, SAR China.
Yuen
A P
AP
Lam
K Y
KY
Tsao
G S
GS
Ho
W K
WK
Wei
W I
WI
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015820:Cadherins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051180:Desmoplakins; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; D051185:gamma Catenin
C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D051180:Desmoplakins; C495292:JUP protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; D051185:gamma Catenin