Abstract
Background: β-catenin and E-cadherin are adhesion molecules that promote metastatic potential through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Although they have not been extensively studied in gastric cancers, they represent potential testable prognostic markers. Methods: We explored the association between the immunohistochemical expression of these markers and clinicopathologic parameters by retrospectively reviewing 205 cases of gastric cancer from tissue microarrays (TMA). A method was developed to evaluate for membranous staining of β-catenin and E-cadherin using grading criteria that characterized both the intensity of staining and the percentage of cells with loss of staining. Results: Weak membranous expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin were associated with worse overall survival (p < 0.05). Abnormal expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin were significantly associated with each other (p < 0.01). Loss of and/or weak membranous staining for both E-cadherin and β-catenin was significantly associated with advanced cancer stage T2-T4 (versus stage T1, p < 0.05) and tumors that are negative for H pylori infection (p < 0.05). In addition, loss of and/or weak membranous staining for β-catenin was significantly associated with poorly differentiated tumors (p < 0.05), diffuse Lauren-type gastric tissue (p = 0.02), and tumors with a significantly higher rate of lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Loss of/weak membranous expression of both E-cadherin and β-catenin was associated with poorer overall survival rates and clinicopathologic parameters that indicated an aggressive clinical behavior. β-catenin shows significant associations with more clinical parameters, making it a better biomarker than E-cadherin. In our multivariate analysis, weak intensity of staining of β-catenin was an independent prognostic factor for survival and may be a useful immunohistochemical prognostic marker for patients with gastric cancer.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 8980-8990 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | International journal of clinical and experimental pathology |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| State | Published - 2017 |
Keywords
- Clinicopathology
- E-cadherin
- Gastric cancer
- β-catenin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Histology