Expression of E-Cadherin and P-Cadherin in Breast Carcinoma

This study aims to correlate immunohistochemical expression of P-cadherin and E-cadherin with pathological features of breast carcinoma in addition to correlation with estrogen and progesterone receptors status and expression of Her2-neu oncoprotein. The cross sectional study was conducted on 50 cases of female patients with breast cancer, admitted to Kasr Al-Ainy hospital. All cases were treated with modified radical mastectomy with complete dissection of axillary lymph nodes. Immunohistochemical staining for each case was conducted for both E-cadherin and P-cadherin. As regards expression of E-cadherin, 38 (76 %) cases were positive, while 12 (24 %) cases were negative. As regards expression of P-cadherin, 38 (76 %) cases were positive, while 12 (24 %) cases were negative. Among the study group, there was an association between expression of each of E-cadherin and P-cadherin and tumor histological type, where expression was significant among invasive ductal carcinomas (NOS), whether pure or mixed with other types. There was an association also between concomitant expression of E-cadherin, P-cadherin and of Her2-neu oncoprotein indicating aggressive tumor behavior. There was as well a strong concomitant expression of both cadherins (E & P). These findings need to be further substantiated with a prospective study supported by the use of molecular biological techniques to address the importance of P-cadherin expression as a prognostic factor for breast cancer patients and may support the development of new therapeutics to control carcinomas co-expressing both cadherins.