title: Evaluation of E-cadherin, β-catenin and vimentin protein expression using quantitative immunohistochemistry in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aberrant expression of proteins involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition have been described in various cancers. In this retrospective study, we sought to evaluate E-cadherin, β-catenin and vimentin protein expression in non-metastatic nasopharyngeal (NPC) patients treated with curative intent, examine their relationship with each other, and with clinical outcome measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre-treatment formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsies of 140 patients treated between January 2000 and December 2007 were assembled into a tissue microarray (TMA). Automated quantitative immunohistochemistry (AQUA®) was performed on sequential TMA sections stained with fluorescent-labeled antibodies against E-cadherin, β-catenin and vimentin. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the effect of cytoplasmic vimentin, cytoplasmic E-cadherin, β-catenin nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio expression on overall survival and disease-free survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average age of the patients was 51.7 years (SD=12.1; range 18-85), 66% were male, 71% had a KPS ≥ 90% at the start of treatment and 65% had stage III/IV disease. After adjusting for performance status, WHO and stage, high E-cadherin levels over the 75th percentile were found to produce a significantly increased risk for both a worse overall survival (HR = 2.53, 95% CI 1.21, 5.27) and disease free survival (DFS; HR = 2.14, 95%CI 1.28, 3.59). Vimentin levels over the first quartile produced an increased risk for a worse DFS (HR = 2.21, 95% CI 1.11, 4.38). No association was seen between β-catenin and survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this cohort of NPC patients, higher levels of E-cadherin and higher levels of vimentin were associated with worse outcomes. Further work is needed to understand the role of these epithelial mesenchymal transition proteins in NPC.
authors.affiliation: . Desiree.Hao@albertahealthservices.ab.ca.
authors.forename: Desirée
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Tien
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Phan
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jagdis
authors.forename: Jodi E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Siever
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Klimowicz
authors.forename: Janessa J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Laskin
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: M Sarah
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Stephanie K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Petrillo
authors.forename: Anthony M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Magliocco
authors.forename: Harold Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D015996:Survival Rate; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins; D014746:Vimentin; D051176:beta Catenin