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Clinical significance of E-cadherin expression in thyroid neoplasms
A Naito1, H Iwase, T Kuzushima
1Second Department of Surgery, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya, Japan.
Background And Objective:
E-cadherin, a calcium-dependent transmembrane glycoprotein, is an adhesion molecule. We studied clinical significance of E-cadherin expression in thyroid neoplasms.
Methods:
We immunohistochemically studied E-cadherin expression in 60 normal tissue specimens of thyroid tissues and in 82 follicular adenomas, 53 papillary carcinomas, 4 follicular carcinomas, 2 medullary carcinomas, and 5 anaplastic carcinomas of the thyroid.
Results:
In papillary carcinoma, E-cadherin expression was preserved significantly less often than in follicular adenoma or normal thyroid tissue (P < 0.01). Preserved E-cadherin expression was seen less often among papillary carcinomas with lymph node metastasis than in those without metastasis (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
This loss of E-cadherin expression may be involved in regional lymph node metastasis and in malignant potential of thyroid neoplasms. J. Surg. Oncol. 2001;76:176-180.