A study of E-cadherin expression in esophageal carcinoma

Abstract

Background and Aim: Esophageal carcinoma is one of the most aggressive malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract. E-cadherin is a transmembrane glycoprotein and its expression is associated with tumor invasiveness, metastasis, survival, and prognosis. The present study aims to compare the pattern of E-cadherin expression in esophageal carcinoma. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted over a period of 5 years. Expression of E-cadherin was evaluated on paraffin-embedded sections of esophageal carcinoma. The immunoreactive scores (IRSs) were calculated and compared with tumor differentiation. Results: The present study included 45 esophageal biopsies, of which 40 cases were neoplastic and 5 were nonneoplastic. The most common histological type is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), of which well-differentiated SCC (WDSCC) was 12.5%, moderately differentiated SCC 57.5%, and poorly differentiated SCC (PDSCC) 17.5%. The IRS was highest in WDSCC and least in PDSCC, with a mean score of 7.20 and 1.57, respectively. This difference was statistically significant with P = 0.001. Conclusion: E-cadherin is an important prognostic marker in esophageal SCC. Its expression is inversely correlated with tumor differentiation. WDSCC and AC exhibit strong E-cadherin expression. Reduced expression of E-cadherin is more likely to be associated with PDSCC of the esophagus.