DECREASED E-CADHERIN EXPRESSION CORRELATES WITH POOR SURVIVAL IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC-CANCER

E-cadherin, Ca2+-dependent intracellular adhesion molecule, is known t o be an invasion suppressor gene, To elucidate the correlation between E-cadherin expression and invasion or metastasis in gastric cancer, w e examined E-cadherin tissue status immunohistochemically. Ninety-eigh t primary gastric cancer, prepared by AMeX method, were retrospectivel y analyzed with anti-E-cadherin monoclonal antibody. In normal gastric epithelium, E-cadherin is expressed homogeneously with a typical memb ranous staining at cell-cell borders. Decreased and heterogeneous expr ession is found in 70 of 98 rumours. Tumours with decreased E-cadherin expression had a tendency to infiltrate more deeply in stomach wall, and metastasize in lymph nodes or peritoneal surface, More importantly , decreased E-cadherin expression correlates with shorter survival (z = 3.98, P = 0.00086). These results may indicate that E-cadherin tissu e status is a powerful prognostic indicator in gastric cancer. The hig h malignant potential of rumours with decreased E-cadherin expression may be associated with high potential of lymph node metastasis and per itoneal dissemination.