title: Differential expression of neural-cadherin in pulmonary epithelial tumours.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neural (N)-cadherin belongs to a group of transmembrane molecules with a crucial role in tissue morphogenesis and maintenance of an epithelioid phenotype and increased N-cadherin expression is implicated in tumour progression and dedifferentiation. The aim was to determine whether evaluation of N-cadherin in pulmonary tumours might assist in identifying lesions with more aggressive potential.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and fifty-five pulmonary lesions were analysed for N-cadherin expression using immunohistochemistry, including neuroendocrine hyperplasia (n = 3), typical carcinoid (n = 59), atypical carcinoid (n = 12), small cell lung carcinoma (n = 11), large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (n = 12), adenocarcinoma (n = 35) and squamous cell carcinoma (n = 23). Lymph node status was correlated with immunohistochemical expression. N-cadherin expression was demonstrated in all cases of neuroendocrine hyperplasia, 96% of typical carcinoids, 83% of atypical carcinoids, 63% of the small cell lung carcinomas and 32% of large cell neuroendocrine carcinomas. Over 90% of the adenocarcinomas and 100% of the squamous cell carcinomas were negative. Increased N-cadherin expression in typical carcinoids was associated with negative lymph node status (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  N-cadherin is differentially expressed in pulmonary tumours and is predominantly observed in neuroendocrine lung lesions with high expression in typical and atypical pulmonary carcinoids. The level of expression of N-cadherin between types of lung tumours does not appear to indicate malignant potential or aggressive behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. d-zynger@md.northwestern.edu
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Zynger
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Dimov
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Laskin
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Yeldandi
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins