Prognostic significance of dysadherin expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Dysadherin is a cancer-associated cell membrane glycoprotein that has been reported to downregulate E-cadherin expression and promote metastasis. To evaluate the role of dysadherin in metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we examined dysadherin and E-cadherin expression in patients with this cancer.


METHODS
Dysadherin and E-cadherin expression was evaluated in 117 ESCC patients (pT1, 31; pT2, 30; pT3, 39; pT4, 17) by immunohistochemistry. The findings were compared with the clinicopathological data of the patients.


RESULTS
Both dysadherin and E-cadherin were localized to the cell membrane. Thirty patients (29.1%) had tumors positive for dysadherin and 41 patients (35.0%) had tumors positive for E-cadherin. Tumors showing dysadherin positivity and negative E-cadherin expression had a significantly worse prognosis than other tumors. When the patients with dysadherin- positive tumors were combined with E-cadherin-negative patients, this group had a worse prognosis (p < 0.0001). Cox multivariate analysis revealed that dysadherin expression was an independent prognostic factor for ESCC (p = 0.003), but E-cadherin expression was not.


CONCLUSIONS
Combined analysis of dysadherin and E-cadherin expression may help to predict the prognosis of patients with ESCC. Our results suggested that expression of dysadherin by this cancer may partly explain the poor prognosis of patients with preservation of E-cadherin expression.
Department of Surgery and Surgical Basic Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kawaracho, Shogoin Sakyo-ku, Japan. shimada@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Yutaka
Y
Shimada
Yosuke
Y
Hashimoto
Takatsugu
T
Kan
Jun-ichiro
J
Kawamura
Tomoyuki
T
Okumura
Toshiya
T
Soma
Kan
K
Kondo
Naoki
N
Teratani
Go
G
Watanabe
Yoshinori
Y
Ino
Michiie
M
Sakamoto
Setsuo
S
Hirohashi
Masayuki
M
Imamura
D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007473:Ion Channels; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins; C451410:FXYD5 protein, human; D007473:Ion Channels; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins