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E-Cadherin expression in human tumors: a tissue microarray study on 10,851 tumors.
Eike Burandt1, Felix Lübbersmeyer1, Natalia Gorbokon1
1Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
Biomarker Research
|June 6, 2021
Summary
E-Cadherin protein is typically expressed in normal cells but often lost in various cancers, correlating with tumor progression. Upregulation can also occur in cancers from E-Cadherin-negative tissues, indicating potential dedifferentiation.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- E-Cadherin (CDH1) is a key protein for cell adhesion and polarity, encoded by a gene at 16q22.1.
- Its function is crucial in maintaining normal tissue structure and preventing cancer development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically analyze E-Cadherin protein expression across a wide range of normal and cancerous human tissues.
- To investigate the correlation between E-Cadherin expression patterns and clinicopathological features of various cancers.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry was performed on a large tissue microarray dataset.
- 14,637 tumor samples (112 types/subtypes) and 608 normal tissue samples (76 types) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- E-Cadherin is highly expressed in normal epithelial cells.
- Loss of E-Cadherin was observed in 45.5% of cancers from E-Cadherin-positive tissues, notably in Merkel cell carcinoma, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, and lobular breast carcinoma.
- Reduced expression correlated with higher grade, triple-negative status, and poor prognosis in breast cancer, and advanced stage/metastasis in colorectal cancer.
- E-Cadherin upregulation occurred in 51.7% of cancers from E-Cadherin-negative tissues, including testicular germ cell and renal cell carcinomas, associated with advanced stage and higher grade.
Conclusions:
- Consistent E-Cadherin expression is characteristic of many epithelial cancers.
- Loss or gain of E-Cadherin expression in tumors is linked to cancer progression and may signify tumor dedifferentiation.
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