Clinical and prognostic features of E-cadherin in adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction patients

ObjectiveThe expression, activity, and functional role of E-cadherin in adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) are unclear. In this research, we evaluated the expression of E-cadherin in AEG, as well as its clinicopathological significance and prognostic value. MethodsA total of 65 AEG samples and 10 normal paracancerous tissues undergoing AEG resection in thoracic surgery were collected. The samples were immunohistochemically examined for expression levels of E-cadherin. The Chi-square test was used to determine if E-cadherin expression correlated with the clinicopathological features of AEG patients. The link between clinicopathological features and 5-year survival rates was investigated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multifactorial Cox regression analysis. ResultsIn AEG tissues, E-cadherin expression was considerably reduced. Differentiation grade (P = 0.013), infiltration depth (P = 0.033), and clinicopathological stage (P = 0.045) were substantially linked to the level of E-cadherin expression. Five-year survival rates of AEG patients were affected by E-cadherin expression (P = 0.037), tumor differentiation (P = 0.010), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001), and clinicopathological stage (P = 0.037). Tumor differentiation (P = 0.033) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for shorter overall survival. ConclusionE-cadherin expression in AEG was significantly decreased, which was strongly related to tumor differentiation, infiltration, and clinicopathological stage. An E-cadherin deficiency would lead to poor prognosis in AEG patients. E-cadherin may play a crucial role in AEG invasion and metastasis. Low expression of E-cadherin may be a potential early biomarker and overall survival predictor for AEG patients.