[Expression of Ezrin and E-cadherin in invasive ductal breast cancer and their correlations to lymphatic metastasis].
OBJECTIVE
Ezrin, a cytoskeleton linker protein, is actively involved in regulating the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. This study was performed to detect the expression of Ezrin and E-cadherin in primary invasive ductal breast cancer in order to evaluate their possible roles in lymphatic metastasis.


METHODS
The expression of Ezrin and E-cadherin in 60 specimens of primary invasive ductal breast cancer (23 with metastasis, 37 without metastasis) was detected by SP immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
The abnormal expression rates of Ezrin and E-cadherin were significantly higher in the cases with metastasis than in the cases without metastasis (73.91% vs. 51.35%, P=0.039; 65.22% vs. 40.54%, P<0.001). The abnormal expression of Ezrin was positively correlated to that of E-cadherin (r=0.898, P=0.038).


CONCLUSIONS
Ezrin and E-cadherin are closely related to invasion and metastasis of ductal breast cancer, suggesting that they are important tumor markers in predicting lymphatic metastasis of invasive ductal breast cancer.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P. R. China.
Qiong
Q
Li
Ming-Fu
MF
Wu
An-Ping
AP
Song
Jun-Cheng
JC
Wei
Gang
G
Xu
Yun-Ping
YP
Lu
Ding
D
Ma
D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D000099149:Ezrin
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000099149:Ezrin