Takeru Sugihara
Background: Loss of cellular polarity is a hallmark of cancer. E-cadherin, which localizes at the adherens junction, is a major cellular polarity determinant to control of tissue architecture. Loss of E-cadherin expression has been reported in many human cancers. Here, we investigated whether loss of E-cadherin expression is involved in endometrial cancer development.
Methods and findings: We investigated the localization and expression of E-cadherin in 152 cases of endometrial cancer using immunohistochemical staining technique. E-cadherin localizes at the cellular membrane in the normal endometrial tissue. Loss of E-cadherin expression was observed significantly in endometrial cancer with high-grade histology. Our analysis revealed that patients with loss of E-cadherin show poorer overall and progression free survival. It was frequently observed in cases with advanced clinical stage, deep myometrial invasion, and p53 mutation, but the difference did not reached to the statistical significance. Loss of E-cadherin showed no obvious relationship with age at onset, lymph-nodal metastasis, vessel involvement, and estrogen and progesterone receptor expression.
Conclusion: Our analysis revealed that disruption of tissue polarity due to loss of adherens junction protein E-cadherin provide more aggressive characters including high-grade histology and poor prognosis to endometrial cancer cells
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