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. 2024 Dec 20;16(24):4247.
doi: 10.3390/cancers16244247.

Enhanced Expression of N-Cadherin, but Not of E-Cadherin, in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Comparison to Basal Cell Carcinoma

Joanna Pogorzelska-Dyrbuś  1 , Danuta Nowicka-Suszko  2 , Aleksandra Piotrowska  3 , Zdzisław Woźniak  4 , Piotr Dzięgiel  3 , Jacek C Szepietowski  5   6
Affiliations

Enhanced Expression of N-Cadherin, but Not of E-Cadherin, in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Comparison to Basal Cell Carcinoma

Joanna Pogorzelska-Dyrbuś et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Adhesion molecules including E-cadherin and N-cadherin have been proven to contribute to the carcinogenesis process. It has been demonstrated that an increased expression or appearance of N-cadherin, as well as a reduction in the expression of E-cadherin, are documented in many cancers, often leading to the loss of intercellular adhesion and acquisition of a more invasive or even metastatic mesenchymal phenotype. The aim of this study was to assess the expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin, as well as markers of proliferation Ki67 in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Methods: A total of 123 tumor paraffin specimens, including 73 BCC and 50 SCC cases, were obtained from multiple anatomical locations. The expression of E-Cadherin and N-Cadherin, including the percentage of stained cells, was assessed using a four-grade scale, with Ki-67 assessed on the five-grade scale.

Results: A significantly higher expression of N-cadherin was observed in SCC compared to BCC, with 14% of SCC cases having a more than 50% expression of N-cadherin, and 10% with 26-50% expression, in comparison with 2.7% and 8.2% in BCC, respectively (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed with regard to E-cadherin expression between SCC and BCC.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that N-cadherin expression might contribute to the acquisition of the mesenchymal phenotype, SCC, when compared with BCC, with a high expression of E-cadherin in both tumors explaining their overall low rate of metastases; however, further research on the role of adhesion molecules in these tumors is needed.

Keywords: BCC; E-cadherin; Ki67; N-cadherin; SCC.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Levels of expression of N-cadherin (A) and E-cadherin (B) in BCC and SCC. Abbreviations: BCC—Basal cell carcinoma; SCC—squamous cell carcinoma.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representative patterns of N-cadherin staining of BCC in 200× (A) and 400× (B) magnification and of SCC in 200× (C) and 400× (D) magnification. Abbreviations: BCC—Basal cell carcinoma; SCC—squamous cell carcinoma.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representative patterns of E-cadherin staining of BCC in 200× (A) and 400× (B) magnification and of SCC in 200× (C) and 400× (D) magnification. Abbreviations: BCC—Basal cell carcinoma; SCC—squamous cell carcinoma.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Representative patterns of Ki-67 staining of BCC in 200× (A) and 400× (B) magnification and of SCC in 200× (C) and 400× (D) magnification. Abbreviations: BCC—Basal cell carcinoma; SCC—squamous cell carcinoma.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Levels of expression of Ki-67 in BCC and SCC. Abbreviations: BCC—Basal cell carcinoma; SCC—squamous cell carcinoma.
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