title: Immunohistochemical detection of E-cadherin in certain types of salivary gland tumours.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the topography of E-cadherin and its possible correlation with the histological phenotype of salivary gland tumours.
  
  
  METHODS
  Archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of 54 benign and 56 malignant tumours and 24 samples of normal and inflamed salivary gland tissue were studied immunohistochemically using an Envision/horseraddish peroxidase (HRP) technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In normal and inflamed salivary gland samples, E-cadherin was expressed at the membrane of acinar, myoepithelial and ductal cells located at cell-cell contact points. Reduction and/or absence of E-cadherin was only observed in pleomorphic adenoma at the peripheral cells of the duct-like or island structures, or in the cells exhibiting plasmacytoid or stromal differentiation. Neoplastic epithelium in Warthin's tumours and in myoepithelial and oncocytic adenomas was strongly positive. Furthermore, a weak to moderate loss of expression which was related to tissue tumour subtype was seen in malignant tumours such as: adenoid cystic carcinomas; polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinomas; acinic cell carcinomas; and mucoepidermoid low-grade, epithelial-myoepithelial, lymphoepithelial and squamous low-grade carcinomas. Moderate to extreme loss or alternative cytoplasmic non-functional expression were observed in cases of salivary ductal carcinoma, carcinosarcoma, myoepithelial carcinoma, oncocytic adenocarcinoma, unspecified adenocarcinoma and squamous high-grade carcinomas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests a direct association of E-cadherin expression with neoplastic histologic phenotype, which is lost in the more undifferentiated and invasive epithelial salivary gland tumours.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Pathology, Dental School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andreadis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Epivatianos
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mireas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nomikos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poulopoulos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yiotakis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barbatis
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry*; D000235:Adenolymphoma / Q000737:chemistry; D000236:Adenoma / Q000737:chemistry; D008949:Adenoma, Pleomorphic / Q000737:chemistry; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis*; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000737:chemistry*; D044584:Carcinoma, Ductal / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D012466:Salivary Gland Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins