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Clinicopathologic significance of dysadherin expression in cutaneous malignant melanoma
Author(s) -
Nishizawa Aya,
Nakanishi Yukihiro,
Yoshimura Kimio,
Sasajima Yuko,
Yamazaki Naoya,
Yamamoto Akifumi,
Hanada Katsumi,
Kanai Yae,
Hirohashi Setsuo
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.20984
Subject(s) - medicine , cadherin , melanoma , pathology , immunohistochemistry , metastasis , cell , lymph node , cancer , cancer research , biology , genetics
Abstract BACKGROUND The E‐cadherin–mediated cell adhesion system is frequently inactivated by multiple mechanisms and is involved in tumor progression in many types of cancer. Recently, the authors reported a novel cell membrane glycoprotein, dysadherin, which has an anti–cell‐cell adhesion function and down‐regulates E‐cadherin. METHODS Expression of both dysadherin and E‐cadherin was investigated immunohistochemically in 115 patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma to determine the correlation between the 2 molecules and their associations with both patient survival and the clinicopathologic features of the tumors. RESULTS Dysadherin and E‐cadherin were expressed at the cell membranes of melanoma cells. Fifty‐two percent of the tumors showed dysadherin immunopositivity, and 91% of the tumors showed reduced E‐cadherin immunopositivity. There was no significant inverse correlation between dysadherin expression and E‐cadherin expression. Increased dysadherin expression was significantly correlated with nodular subtype ( P = 0.042), Clark level ( P < 0.001), tumor thickness ( P < 0.001), ulceration ( P = 0.008), lymph node metastasis ( P < 0.001), high TNM classification ( P < 0.001), and poor patient survival ( P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis of patient survival revealed that increased dysadherin expression was a significant predictor of poor survival ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Thus, increased expression of dysadherin was a significant indicator of poor prognosis in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.