Prognostic significance of B-Catenin and E-Cadherin expression in gastric carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction: Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Dysregulation of molecular pathways, including β-Catenin-mediated Wnt signaling, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and E-Cadherin-modulated cell adhesion, plays critical roles in gastric carcinogenesis. This study assesses the expression patterns of β-Catenin and E-Cadherin in GC and explores their prognostic significance.

Methods: This retrospective, multi-center study analyzed GC cases diagnosed between 2009 and 2019 at the pathology departments of Security Forces and Rabta Hospitals. Tissue microarray (TMA) paraffin blocks from 48 GC cases were immunohistochemically stained using antibodies for β-Catenin (Leica, 17C2) and E-Cadherin (Leica, 36B5). β-Catenin expression was scored as membranous, cytoplasmic, or nuclear, with overexpression defined as ≥ 50% positive cells. E-Cadherin staining was categorized from absent (score 0) to marked membranous staining (score 3), with scores 0-2 considered aberrant. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23.

Results: Of the 48 cases, β-Catenin overexpression was observed in 50% of cases, significantly associated with tumor differentiation (p = 0.033), age > 60 years (p = 0.042), and male sex (p = 0.028). Aberrant E-Cadherin expression was found in 65% of cases, linked to poorly cohesive and diffuse subtypes (p = 0.053), poor differentiation (p = 0.042), and recurrence (p = 0.043), with a trend toward reduced survival (p = 0.056).

Conclusion: β-Catenin overexpression and aberrant E-Cadherin expression are frequent in GC, reflecting their roles in tumor progression via Wnt signaling and EMT. These findings highlight their potential as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets, particularly for Wnt pathway-directed therapies in personalized GC management.

Keywords: E-Cadherin; epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; gastric cancer; β-catenin.