Prognostic significance of E-cadherin expression in gastric cancer

الملخص EN

Background : E-cadherin plays a key role in intercellular adhesion of epithelial cells.

Aberrant expression of E-cadherin have been implicated in tumor progression and metastasis.

Aim : the expression pattern of E-cadherin in gastric carcinoma, its relationship with tumour clinic pathological parameters and patient survival as well as efficacy of postoperative adjuvant treatment were investigated.

Methods : the expression of E-cadherin was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 33 formalin fixed paraffin embedded specimens of gastric cancer.

The patients received the planned postoperative adjuvant treatment.

Results : Abnormal expression of E-cadherin demonstrated in 16 out of 33 cases (48.5%) of gastric carcinoma.

Abnormal staining pattern of Cadherin associated significantly with tumour larger than 10 cm, poorly differentiated and diffuse type carcinoma.

Loss of normal E-cadherin expression showed association with poor survival but not statistically significant (P = 0.1).

The overall survival was 66.7% in the first year and was 48.5% in the second year.

Better disease free survival was seen in chemo-radiotherapy treatment as compared to systemic chemotherapy alone (66% v.44%).

Conclusion : these results suggest that the E-cadherin may be a useful marker of differentiation and prognosis in gastric cancer.

The postoperative adjuvant treatment; concurrent chemo radiotherapy has proved to cause promising improvement in disease free survival.

Further studies are warranted to clarify the impact of E-cadherin on prognostic factor of gastric cancer.