title: Effects of changes at the site of E-cadherin expression as an indicator of colon cancer aggressiveness.
abstract: The aim of the work was to study the effects of changes in the location of E-cadherin from membrane to cytoplasm and the appearance of metastases and recurrence in patients with colon cancer of pT1 grade. The study group consisted of 34 patients with colon cancer. The material was fixed in 10% buffered, directly following surgery, fixed in fonnaldehyde and embedded in paraffin blocks by a standard method. Immunohistochemical reactions were performed, using monoclonal E-cadherin antibodies (Novocastra, NCL-E-Cad). Statistical analysis did not show any relation between the change in the location of E-cadherin expression, the patients' sex, and the location of changes. Simultaneously, we observed a strong relationship between the presence of exudate in the vessels from cancer cells, the histological grade and the loss of E-cadherin expression in the main tumour mass (p<0.01). We also noted a statistically significant correlation between the presence of lymph node invasion and distant metastases and the E-cadherin cytoplasmic reaction (p=0.0001, p=0.000001, respectively). A borderline significance of p=0.06 was noted in the association between the appearance of recurrence at the postoperative site and the change in location of E-cadherin expression in the main tumour mass from cytoplasm to membrane. On the basis of our results, we can conclude that a change in the location of E-cadherin expression (from membrane cytoplasm) is strongly associated with an increased aggressiveness of CRC, which is related to the appearance of proximal and distant metastases and to recurrence at the postoperative scar.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pathomorphology, Medical University of Białystok, Poland. kguzinska@poczta.onet.pl
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Guzińska-Ustymowicz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chetnik
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kemona
mesh_terms: D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins