title: Clinicopathological significance of E-cadherin, β-catenin and epidermal growth factor receptor expression in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study investigated the pathogenetic role of e-cadherin, β-catenin, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in cholangiocarcinoma (CC) and analyzed the correlation with clinicopathological factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty three patients with CC who had undergone resection were studied. The expression of E-cadherin, β-catenin and EGFR was examined by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The down-regulation of E-cadherin and β-catenin was identified in 43/83 patients (51.8%) and 32/83 patients (38.6%), respectively. EGFR expression occurred in 46 of 83 patients (55.4%). The reduced membranous expression of E-cadherin was correlated with poor histological differentiation. The reduced membranous expression of β-catenin was correlated with higher tendency of vascular invasion and was more frequent in males. EGFR was more expressed in poorly differentiated CC. The reduced membranous expression of E-cadherin was significantly correlated with reduced expression of β-catenin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reduced expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin and EGFR over expression seems to be correlated with tumor differentiation and tumor progression than tumor invasion and tumor proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
authors.forename: Mi Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Joon Hyuk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D051176:beta Catenin; D066246:ErbB Receptors