E-cadherin is an adhesion molecule essential in maintaining cellular integrity and preserving normal epithelial tissue architecture in adult organisms. Loss of E-cadherin expression and epithelial characteristics has been described in the late stages of carcinogenesis in various human cancers. By loosing cell-cell adhesion mediated by E-cadherin and acquiring mesenchymal properties, a process reffered to as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), carcinoma cells become more motile and

more »

... ve, thus being able to penetrate the surrounding stroma. Our aim is to investigate E-cadherin expression, part of the EMT phenomenom, in cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs), knowing that it represents a valuable model for understanding cancer progression. We conducted a retrospective study, performing immunohistochemical staining of E-cadherin and analyzing its expression in 32 cases of primary cSCCs. E-cadherin membrane positivity was assessed in cells from the main tumor and cells from the invasion front and described in terms of percentage of positive tumoral cells and in terms of intensity. Statistycal analysis showed the proportion of E-Cadherin positive cells in the tumor central and superficial areas is lower in higher degrees of anaplasia (marginally significant p=0.07), confirming the higher potential of poor outcome in these tumors. Median intensity and proportion values of E-Cadherin positive cells were significantly higher in the tumor central and superficial areas than in the invasion front (p<0.0001), suggesting that loss of epithelial features portends higher potential of invasion and metastasis in the setting of EMT. Further studies are required in order to establish clear correlations.