title: Progressive loss of E-cadherin immunoexpression during cervical carcinogenesis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate E-cadherin immunoexpression during cervical carcinogenesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed the immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin in squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL - 52 cases), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix (23 cases) and also in eight cases of cervicitis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results show very different E-cadherin membrane expression levels when cervicitis (88%), SILs (73%) and SCC (17%) were compared. In SILs, higher E-cadherin loss was seen in less differentiated cells in the basal third of the epithelium. This study suggests that the absence of E-cadherin expression in the membrane is a molecular event that is observed more often in SCC of the uterine cervix than in SILs or cervicitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  E-cadherin is an essential molecule during the process of cervical carcinogenesis and in this context exhibits a different expression pattern according to the epithelial thickness layer.
authors.affiliation: School Maternity, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Roosevelt
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cavalcante
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Paulo Aguiar
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Tarcísio Alves
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Maia Filho
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renato Braga
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal and Child Health, UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eleutério
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberto César Pereira
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ronaldo Albuquerque
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Roberto Carvalho
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Almeida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001706:Biopsy; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000378:metabolism; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D065310:Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions of the Cervix / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002575:Uterine Cervicitis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins