Immunohistochemical assessment of E-cadherin, β-catenin, CEACAM-1 and PTEN: tumor progression markers in melanoma

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is the immunohistochemical assessment of tumor progression markers (E-cadherin, β-catenin, CEACAM-1 and PTEN) in primary cutaneous melanomas and their correlation with prognostic factors. METHOD: Primary lesions in patients with cutaneous melanoma were recorded as to clinical data (age, gender, location and metastases) and anatomopathologic data (Breslow, Clark level, margins, histological type, mitosis, ulceration, regression, satellitosis and TIL type). It was made a comparison between immunohistochemical expression of the markers and prognostic and anatomopathologic factors. RESULTS: Breslow thickness was > 1 mm (thick) in 21 patients (48.83%) and < 1 mm (thin) in 22 (51.16%). There was a higher CEACAM-1 positive expression in thick melanomas than in thin ones (p = 0.002). There was a more frequent E-cadherin (p = 0.008), b-catenin (p = 0.001) and PTEN (p = 0.005) positive expression in thin melanomas than in thick ones. There was a more frequent CEACAM-1 positive expression in superficial (p = 0.003) and deep (p = 0.002) samples of thick melanomas than in thin ones. No statistically significant differences between clinical and histopathological data were found when comparing patients with (n = 6) and without metastasis (n = 15). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: There was a higher positivity for E-cadherin, b-catenin and PTEN in thin melanomas, whereas there was a higher positivity for CEACAM-1 in thick melanomas.