An Immunohistochemical Study of Cell Adhesion Molecules and Related Molecules in Common Bile duct Cancer

Takenori Sakai, Hiroyasu Imayama, Kotaro Hashino, Akira Hasuda, Shyuichi Fukuda, Masao Hara, Koji Okuda, Hisafumi Kinoshita, Naohumi Eriguchi, Toshimichi Nakayama

Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Kurume University

We conducted an immunohistochemical study on expression of the extracellular basement membrane component laminin (LM), the extracellular basement membrane-degrading enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and the cell adhesion molecule CD44 in common bile duct cancer tissue and investigated their relationship with clinicopathologic factors for this form of cancer. There was a negative correlation between LM and MMP-3 expression. The relationship between clincopathologic factors and these molecules was as follows. There was a negative correlation between histologic invasion and LM or CD44 expression, a negative correlation between stage and LM or CD44 expression, a positive correlation between stage and MMP-3 expression, a positive correlation between perineural invasion and MMP-3 expression, and a negative correlation between lymph node metastasis and LM expression. The cumulative postoperative survival rate differed significantly depending on the presence or absence of LM expression. These results suggest that interations between the extracellular matrix and basement membrane-degrading enzyme and adhesion molecules may play a role in the invasion and progression of common bile duct cancer, as is the case with other gastrointestinal cancers.

Key words
matrix metalloproteinase, laminin, common bile duct cancer

Reprint requests
Takenori Sakai The Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Kurume University
67 Asahi-machi, Kurume-shi, 830-0011 JAPAN

Accepted
December 3, 1997

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