Expression of E-cadherin in cervical lymph nodes from primary oral squamous cell carcinoma patients.
BACKGROUND
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant tumor in oral and maxillofacial region with poor prognosis. E-cadherin plays a key role in cell-to-cell adhesion. E-cadherin expression in the metastatic cervical lymph node, especially in the micrometastatic cervical lymph node has seldom been reported in OSCC patients.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the E-cadherin expression in cervical lymph nodes from OSCC patients as well as its clinical significance.


METHODS
Thirty-three OSCC patients were involved in this study; among them, there were 28 males and 5 females, the age ranged from 34 to 78 years (mean 58.8 years). The most suspicious metastatic cervical lymph node (total 99 lymph nodes) from three cervical regions of each OSCC patient was selected for detection of E-cadherin using routine pathological examination and immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
Increased E-cadherin expression in the metastatic cervical lymph nodes was detected, which was diagnosed by routine pathological examination using HE staining. However, in the micrometastatic cervical lymph node, E-cadherin expression was negative. The survival rate of OSCC patients correlated with decreased E-cadherin expression (P=0.001), N stage (P=0.024) and tumor recurrence (P<0.001). Tumor recurrence is the only independent factor on the prognosis (RR=20.83 and P=0.014).


CONCLUSIONS
Decreased E-cadherin expression in cancerous tissue correlates with the poor prognosis of OSCC patients. Detection of E-cadherin expression is useful to confirm the cervical lymph node metastasis and maybe useless to detect the cervical lymph node micrometastasis; further studies are encouraged to reveal the detail mechanism of E-cadherin expression in formation of lymph node metastatic focus.
Zhong
Lai-Ping
LP
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China.
Li
Jiang
J
Zhang
Chen-Ping
CP
Zhu
Han-Guang
HG
Sun
Jian
J
Zhang
Zhi-Yuan
ZY
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005887:Gingival Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009060:Mouth Floor / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology
D015820:Cadherins