Elsevier

Human Pathology

Volume 31, Issue 5, May 2000, Pages 558-565
Human Pathology

Original contributions
Immunoreactive e-cadherin, alpha-catenin,beta-catenin, and gamma-catenin proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma: Relationships with tumor grade, clinicopathologic parameters, and patients' survival

https://doi.org/10.1053/hp.2000.6683Get rights and content

Abstract

We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression status of Ecadherin, alpha-catenin, beta-catenin, and gamma-Catenin, and the relationship with tumor grade, Clinicopathologic parameters, and patients' survival, in 107 surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), using a semiquantitative scoring system. These molecules were largely located at the cell membrane of HCC cells. Compared with expression in nontumorous liver, Ecadherin showed underexpression, whereas alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenins showed overexpression in most HCC. Ecadherin expression significantly correlated inversely with HCC histological grade, being the highest in well0differentiated HCC. In contrast, alpha-, beta-, and gammacatenins' expression significantly correlated positively with HCC grade, being the highest in poorly differentiated HCC. Significant positive correlations were found between gamma-Catenin high expression and capsular invasion or presence of satellite nodules, and between beta-Catenin high expression and vascular invasion. Kaplan-Meier examination of patients' survival indicated that HCC patients with underexpression of Ecadherin, alpha-Catenin, and gamma-catenin, and patients with overexpression of beta-catenin, had poor survival rates. These results suggest that Ecadherin is downregulated while the 3 catenins are upregulated in HCC, that Ecadherin expression inversely correlates with HCC grade while the 3 catenins' expression positively correlates with HCC grade, and that HCC patients with downregulation of Ecadherin, alpha-Catenin, and gamma-catenin and HCC patients with upregulation of beta-catenin have poor prognosis.

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