Expression of E-cadherin in skin carcinomas
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Updated: Sep 11, 2026

Cell Population Analyses During Skin Carcinogenesis
Published on: August 21, 2013
H Tada1, M Hatoko, T Muramatsu
1Department of Dermatology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan.
Abstract:
In this study, we investigated the expression of E-cadherin in 31 cases of human skin carcinoma including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), Paget's disease, Bowen's disease (invasive type), and trichilemmal carcinoma, by immunohistochemical staining using a monoclonal antibody specific for E-cadherin. Similar to the E-cadherin expression in normal epidermis, E-cadherin was strongly expressed in all samples of BCC on the cell borders, whereas marked decrease or loss of E-cadherin expression was found in the tumor cells of SCC, Paget's disease, and Bowen's disease (invasive type). On the other hand, E-cadherin expression of trichilemmal carcinoma was slightly reduced. Considering the clinical and histological features of these skin carcinoma, the reduction of E-cadherin expression is considered to be associated with the invasion and metastasis of human skin carcinoma.
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