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. 2024 Oct 3;16(10):e70767.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.70767. eCollection 2024 Oct.

A Retrospective Study on the Expression of E-Cadherin in Endometrial Carcinoma

MonishaRita Jayaraman  1 , Niveditha En  1 , Lakshmipriya V  1 , Volga Harikrishnan  1
Affiliations

A Retrospective Study on the Expression of E-Cadherin in Endometrial Carcinoma

MonishaRita Jayaraman et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

E-cadherin is a cell adhesion molecule crucial for maintaining cellular integrity and survival. E-cadherin is the focus of this study, which aims to evaluate its immunohistochemical staining patterns in endometrial carcinoma (EC). Material and methods In this retrospective study, 25 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of EC were retrieved from the Department of Pathology at Saveetha Medical College. These samples, collected between September 2020 and May 2023, were identified using unique histopathology numbers. Results The analysis revealed that E-cadherin expression decreased as the endometrial tissue progressed from normal to carcinoma. This reduction was more pronounced in cancers with greater depth of invasion and in more advanced stages compared to those with less invasive depth and earlier stages. Additionally, E-cadherin expression was higher in grade 1 tumors but became heterogeneous or negative in grade 3 tumors. Conclusion The downregulation of E-cadherin is likely due to disruptions in the cadherin-catenin complex, which is linked to the potential for local and distant metastasis in cancer. This study underscores the significance of cell adhesion molecule expression in predicting the prognosis of EC.

Keywords: cancer metastasis; dedifferentiated carcinoma; e-cadherin expression; endometrial carcinoma; endometrioid carcinoma; serous carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve human participants or tissue. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Age-wise distribution of the cases of endometrial carcinoma
Figure 2
Figure 2. Distribution of presenting symptoms of endometrial carcinoma
Figure 3
Figure 3. Age distribution in various types of endometrial carcinoma
EEC: endometrial endometrioid carcinoma, ESC: endometrial serous carcinoma
Figure 4
Figure 4. Number of cases showing lymphovascular invasion and myometrial invasion
EEC: endometrial endometrioid carcinoma, ESC: endometrial serous carcinoma
Figure 5
Figure 5. Comparison of E-cadherin expression across tumour grade, stage, and myometrial invasion
Figure 6
Figure 6. A,B - Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections and C,D - immunosuhistochemical staining of endometrial endometrioid carcinoma
A (H&E 100X) and B (H&E 400X) show endometrial carcinoma; C (E-cadherin, 100X) shows cytoplasmic positive staining to the right side and negative staining to the left; D (E-cadherin, 400X) shows negative staining and focal weak membrano-cytoplasmic staining of the endometrial glands
Figure 7
Figure 7. A,B - Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections; C,D - immunohistochemical-stained section of endometrial serous carcinoma
A (H&E 100X) and B (H&E 400X) show serous carcinoma of the endometrium; C (E-cadherin, 100X) shows membrano-cytoplasmic positive staining in the bottom and negative staining to the top; D (E-cadherin, 400X) shows negative staining and focal incomplete membrano-cytoplasmic staining of the endometrial glands
Figure 8
Figure 8. A,B - Hematoxylin and eosin stained sections; C,D - immunohistochemical-stained sections of dedifferentiated carcinoma of the endometrium
A (H&E 100X) and B (H&E 400X) show dedifferentiated carcinoma of the endometrium, dedifferentiated areas pointed by black arrows; C (E-cadherin, 100X) shows diffuse cytoplasmic positive staining; D (E-cadherin, 400X) shows diffuse cytoplasmic positive staining of the endometrial glands
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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