Correlation between E-cadherin Expression and Lymphnode Metastasis in Human Esophageal Cancer

Hitoshi Shiozaki, Mikiyo Miyata, Kenji Kobayashi, Hideaki Tahara, Shigeyuki Tamura, Hiroshi Yano, Hiroshi Oka, Yuuichiro Doki, Keisuke Iihara, Takesada Mori, Shinji Hirano*, Masatoshi Takeichi*

Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School
*Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University

The process of lymph node metastasis from a malignant neoplasm consists of sequential steps, some of which can be largely affected by intercellular adhesion between cancer cells. Since E-cadherin (E-CD) is one of the major molecules involved in adhesion between cells in normal and malignant epithelial tissues, we investigated the correlation between E-CD expression and lymph node metastasis in human esophageal cancer by immuno-histochemical staining (IHS) using HECD-1. IHS evaluation was performed on surgically resected specimens from 35 patients. The pattern of staining of the tumor with IHS was evaluated as "positive" (all of the tumor cells were positively stained), "negative" (non of the tumor cells were positively stained), or "mixed" (some tumor cells were positively stained, but the rest were not stained). The staining intensity of the tumor with IHS was evaluated as "strong" (Group A) or "faint" (Group B). Though 7 superfical tumors (ep and sm) consisted of 3 "positive", 1 "negative", and 3 "mixed" tumors, the remaining 28 tumors with the deeper invasion consisted solely of "mixed" tumors. All of the tumors with lymph node metastasis were evaluated as "mixed". In contrast, most of the tumor nests in lymph vessels consisted of "positive"tumor cells. The mean number of lymph node metastases from tumors in Group A was greater than that in Group B. These results indicate that a firmly formed cluster of tumor cells might detach from the tumor nests with unstable adhesiveness ( "mixed" E-CD expression) and form metastatic foci in distant lymph nodes.

Key words
lymphnode metastasis of esophageal cancer, E-cadherin

Reprint requests
Hitoshi Shiozaki Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School
1-1-50 Fujushima, Fukushima-ku, Osaka, 560 JAPAN

Accepted
October 11, 1990

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