Clinical significance of E-cadherin-catenin complex expression in metastatic foci of colorectal carcinoma

Background and Objectives: Reduced expressions of cell adhesion molecules ( E-cadherin, alpha -catenin, and beta -catenin) has been reported to be asso ciated with tumor metastasis. However, the clinical significance of such ad hesion molecules in the metastatic foci remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic significance of E-cadherin, alpha -catenin, and be ta -catenin expressions in the metastatic foci of patients with colorectal carcinoma. Methods: The expressions of E-cadherin, alpha -cateninl and beta -catenin w ere detected immunohistochemically in 105 primary tumors, in 30 metastatic lymph nodes, and 13 metastatic liver tumors from consecutive patients with colorectal carcinoma. Results: Reduced normal expression of E-cadherin, alpha -catenin. and beta -catenin in comparison with normal epithelium was detected in 78 primary tu mors. respectively. Patients who had tumors with reduced expression of adhe sion molecules showed unfavorable prognosis and the reduced expression of a dhesion molecules was detected as one of the independent prognostic factors for patients with colorectal carcinoma. In 30 patients with lymph node met astasis, the increased expression of adhesion molecules in metastatic lymph nodes compared with primary tumors was detected in 13 patients. The progno sis of these 13 patients was poorer than that of remaining 17 patients (P = 0.0296). Also, in 13 patients with liver metastasis, even no significant d ifference was observed, the mean survival time of 6 patients who had metast atic liver tumors with increased expression of adhesion molecules (10 month s) was shorter than that of the remaining 7 patients (16 months: P = 0.1718 ). Conclusions: These results suggest that increased expression of the cadheri n-catenin cell-cell adhesion system in metastatic foci may play an importan t role in progression of metastatic colorectal carcinomas. (C) 2001 Wiley-L iss, Inc.