E-cadherin expression in prostatic carcinoma biopsies: correlation with tumor grade, DNA content, pathologic stage, and clinical outcome
Ross, J.S.; Figge, H.L.; Bui, H.X.; del Rosario, A.D.; Fisher, H.A.; Nazeer, T.; Jennings, T.A.; Ingle, R.; Kim, D.N.
Modern Pathology An Official Journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Inc 7(8): 835-841
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0893-3952 PMID: 7530850 Document Number: 424641
We compared tumor grade and DNA content with expression of E-cadherin (E-CD), a cell adhesion molecule associated with cell-cell and cell-matrix interaction, leukocyte function and tumor invasion and metastases, on 56 prostate carcinoma needle biopsies. The findings were correlated with final pathologic stage at subsequent prostatectomy, preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen level and further development of metastases during an initial 2.4-yr mean clinical follow-up period (range 0.5 to 5.5 yr). E-CD expression (uvomorulin, L-CAM, cell CAM 80/120, ARC-1, Sigma, St. Louis, MO) was measured by double-linked immunoalkaline phosphatase immunohistochemistry quantified with a the Roche RPW image analyzer (Roche Image Analysis Systems, Elon College, NC). DNA ploidy was determined on formalin- fixed. paraffin-embedded Feulgen-stained 5-mu-m tissue sections of the narrow-bore initial prostate carcinoma biopsies with the Roche RPW image analyzer. The 51% mean positive area E-CD expression in the group of 56 adenocarcinomas was significantly less than the 76% expression level for 15 normal control prostate tissues (P lt 0.001). E-CD expression was also decreased in aneuploid (39%) versus diploid tumors (54%, P lt 0.001); and in high-grade (44%) versus low-grade lesions (54%; P lt 0.01). The 44% E-CD expression level in patients with metastases was lower than the 52% level in the nonmetastatic cases, but this finding was not statistically significant. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, biopsy DNA ploidy status, but not tumor grade or E-CD expression level, reached independent status (P lt 0.026) for the prediction of metastasis. E-CD expression did not correlate with preoperative serum prostatic-specific antigen levels. We conclude that significant loss in E-CD expression can be measured in needle biopsies of prostatic carcinoma versus normal prostate tissue: in poorly differentiated versus well-differentiated tumors; in aneuploid versus diploid specimens; and that, although not an independent predictor of outcome, E-CD expression is of significant interest and warrants further study as a potential marker of prostate cancer development and progression.