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. 1993 Apr;142(4):981–986.

E-cadherin expression in colorectal cancer. An immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization study.

S Dorudi 1, J P Sheffield 1, R Poulsom 1, J M Northover 1, I R Hart 1
PMCID: PMC1886882  PMID: 7682766

Abstract

Expression of the epithelial-specific adhesion molecule E-cadherin has been assessed in paraffin-embedded tissue from a series of 72 colorectal carcinomas. Using immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization it was found that E-cadherin expression was related inversely to tumor differentiation. Out of 44 well- and moderately differentiated tumors, 36 expressed good positivity, whereas 24 of 28 poorly differentiated tumors were E-cadherin-negative. Classification by Dukes stage revealed a highly significant difference (P << 0.001) between A and B (32 positive, four negative) and C1 and C2 (seven positive, 29 negative) stages in terms of immunoreactivity. Of the 32 lymph node metastases studied, 20 were negative for E-cadherin expression, as were seven of eight liver metastases. These results indicate that the down-regulation of E-cadherin levels in vivo is associated with the dedifferentiation, progression, and metastasis of colorectal cancer.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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