Relationship between E-cadherin and α-catenin Expression and Lymphnode Metastasis of Esophageal and Gastric Cancer

Masatoshi Inoue, Hitoshi Shiozaki, Shigeyuki Tamura, Takatoshi Kadowaki, Shigeo Matsui, Toshimasa Tsujinaka, Atsuo Murata, Junichi Nishijima, Takesada Mori

Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School

In 46 esophageal cancers and 54 gastric cancers, we examined the expression of E-cadherin (E-cad), adhesion moleclues, and α-catenin (α-cat), an E-cad-associated cytoplasmic protein that regulates E-cad function, using immunohistochemical methods. We also examined the relationship between E-cad and α-cat expression and clinicopathological features. The expression of α-cat, as well as that of E-cad, was significantly reduced in esophageal cancers (80.5%) and gastric cancers (70.4%). The reductions in E-cad and α-cat were significantly correlated with invasiveness and differentiation grade, but E-cad expression was not correlated with lymph node metastasis in gastric cancers. We also examined co-expression of E-cad and α-cat. In 46 esophageal cancerous lesions, 21 cases showed dominant reduction of α-cat, and 15 of 54 gastric cancerous lesions showed the same reduction. Furthermore, the frequency of lymph node metastasis was high in these cases. These results suggest that the reduction of α-cat expression is more closely correlated with invasiveness and lymph node metastasis than that of E-cad expression, and that α-cat may be a useful factor to investigate lymph node metastasis preoperatively in esophageal and gastric cancer.

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Masatoshi Inoue Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School
2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565 JAPAN

Accepted
December 8, 1993

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