Abstract
9541 Background: The Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM) is involved in homophillic cell-cell adhesion and proliferation in normal epithelia and is frequently over-expressed in primary and metastatic adenocarcinomas. However, it has been postulated that during detachment and dissemination of tumor cells, the antigen may of necessity be down-regulated. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) by definition, may demonstrate this phenomenon as they have successfully escaped their local microenvironment and entered the circulation. The objective of this study was to investigate this paradox. Methods: EpCAM expression of CTC was compared to tumor cells in paraffin embedded tissue micro-arrays containing various benign diseases and carcinomas. EpCAM expression on CTC was determined by flowcytometry (FCM) and in paraffin embedded tissue by immunohistochemistry (IHC). To permit comparison of FCM results to those derived by IHC, EpCAM was quantified on cancer cell lines by FCM and then paraffin embedded cell-blocks of ...
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