E-cadherin expression in thymomas.
- Author:
Woo Ick YANG
1
;
Kyung Moo YANG
;
Soon Won HONG
;
Kil Dong KIM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords: E-cadherin; thymomas; immunohistochemistry
- MeSH: Adolescence; Adult; Aged; Cadherins/immunology; Cadherins/analysis*; Female; Human; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Middle Age; Neoplasm Staging; Thymoma/pathology; Thymoma/classification; Thymoma/chemistry*; Thymus Neoplasms/pathology; Thymus Neoplasms/classification; Thymus Neoplasms/chemistry*
- From:Yonsei Medical Journal 1998;39(1):37-44
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: For the purpose of investigating the pattern of E-cadherin (E-CD) expression in thymomas, 72 cases were immunostained using monoclonal antibody (HECD-1) and microwave-enhanced immunohistochemical method on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. The thymomas were classified according to modified Muller-Hermelink classification. The spindle-shaped, medullary type tumor epithelial cells in medullary (3 cases) and composite type (20 cases) thymomas rarely expressed E-CD except in focal areas showing microcystic change observed in 8 cases. Meanwhile, the cohesive epithelioid tumor cells in every case of well-differentiated thymic carcinomas (WDTC) (29 cases) expressed E-CD. The epithelial cells in cortical type (13 cases) expressed stronger E-CD compared with those of organoid type (7 cases). In cases of WDTC admixed with cortical type, we observed increasing expression of E-CD as the tumor epithelium forms cohesive sheets. We could not find any loss of E-CD expression in invasive foci of the 11 cases of high-staged WDTC examined. Since the results of our study show a strong correlation between E-CD expression and epithelioid morphology of the tumor, E-CD seems to play a major role as a morpho-regulatory factor rather than as a suppressor of invasion in organotypic thymomas.
