EXPRESSION OF E-CADHERIN, ALPHA-CATENIN, BETA-CATENIN AND PLAKOGLOBININ ESOPHAGEAL CARCINOMAS AND ITS PROGNOSTIC-SIGNIFICANCE - IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF 96 LESIONS

It has been suggested that inactivation of the cadherin-mediated cell- cell adhesion system plays a role in the initial steps of cancer invas ion and metastasis. Expression of E-cadherin and its intracytoplasmic binding molecules, alpha-catenin, beta-catenin and plakoglobin was exa mined immunohistochemically in 96 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas to investigate the association between their expression and the progno sis for patients with esophageal cancer. Reduced E-cadherin, alpha-cat enin, beta-catenin and plakoglobin expression was observed in 44, 72, 73 and 88% of the tumors, respectively. Reduced E-cadherin, alpha-cate nin, beta-catenin and plakoglobin expression correlated closely with t he differentiation grade of the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (p< 0.05). Downregulation of alpha-catenin was associated with a poor prog nosis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (p<0.05). Th is result suggests that downregulation of alpha-catenin, which may ref lect dysfunction of the cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion system, i s a factor indicating a poor prognosis in patients with esophageal can cer.