Clinicopathologic significance of dysadherin expression in cutaneous malignant melanoma: immunohistochemical analysis of 115 patients

• Published in: Cancer Vol. 103; no. 8; pp. 1693 - 1700
• Main Authors: Nishizawa, Aya, Nakanishi, Yukihiro, Yoshimura, Kimio, Sasajima, Yuko, Yamazaki, Naoya, Yamamoto, Akifumi, Hanada, Katsumi, Kanai, Yae, Hirohashi, Setsuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 15.04.2005
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers, Tumor; Cadherins - metabolism; Carcinoma - metabolism; Carcinoma - pathology; Cell Adhesion; Cell Membrane - metabolism; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Lymphatic Metastasis - pathology; Male; Melanoma - metabolism; Melanoma - pathology; Membrane Glycoproteins - metabolism; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Proteins - metabolism; Neoplasm Staging; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial - metabolism; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial - pathology; Prognosis; Skin Neoplasms - metabolism; Skin Neoplasms - pathology; Survival Rate
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.20984

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. 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. 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). Thus, increased expression of dysadherin was a significant indicator of poor prognosis in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma.