Expression of 
E-cadherin in Colorectal Cancers

Keimyung Medical Journal 2001;20(2):181-187.

Expression of E-cadherin in Colorectal Cancers

대장암의 E-cadherin의 발현양상

배병진; 박성대; 배옥석

Abstract

Tumor invasion and it’s metastasis are the major causes of the failure of treatment in colorectal cancer patients. E-cadherin; thought to be related to invasion and metastasis in colorectal cancer; is a cell-cell adhesion molecule found mainly in epithelial tissues. The expression of E-cadherin was evaluated in 23 colorectal cancer patients. In order to stain colon cancer tissues and normal colonic mucosa simultaneously on the same slides and to reduce a personal error during immunohistochemical staining procedure; we took colonic cancer tissues which had normal colonic mucosa right after surgery. The expression of E-cadherin in colorectal cancers was investigated using immunohistochemical staining method. We defined two experimental groups as follows. A: the intensity of E-cadherin expression in cancer was significantly reduced; when compared with that of normal colonic mucosa. B : Little difference between the two tissues in the expression of E-cadherin. Of 23 cases; 9 cases belonged to A group; and 14 cases belonged to B group. The number of cases with vascular and neural invasion of the tumor was significantly higher in A group than in B group. The expression of E-cadiherin was reduced in tumors with lymph node metastasis; but the results was not statistically significat. Above results indicate that the loss of E-cadherin expression in colorectal cancers may be related to tumor invasion to adjacent tissues.

Key Words: E-cadherin, Immunohistochemistry, Colorectal cancer