Abstract
PurposeNectins are cell adhesion molecules that regulate the formation of adherens junctions and are linked with E-cadherin-based cell–cell adherens junctions. In pancreatic cancer, the expression of E-cadherin and nectins is considered to be related to metastasis, invasion and prognosis.MethodsWe evaluated the distribution of cells that were positive for nectin subtypes and E-cadherin using immunohistochemistry in specimens of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and correlated these results with the clinicopathological features and patient outcomes.ResultsThe immunohistochemical distribution of nectin-1 and E-cadherin showed a good correlation (r = 0.523, p < 0.01). Tumors over 4 cm in diameter had more intense staining for nectin-4 than smaller tumors (p = 0.035). Nectin-2 expression correlated with a poorer histological grade (p = 0.04). The cases that showed diffuse nectin-3 expression had a better prognosis than those with negative expression (p = 0.018).ConclusionOur results showed that the expression of nectin-3 in pancreatic cancer can be a prognostic factor.
Highlights
Pancreatic carcinoma is a lethal disease, and the incidence rates are almost equal to the mortality rates
The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) leads to the disruption of the adherens junctions that are composed of E-cadherin
E-cadherin expression is strong in well-differentiated carcinomas, which often maintain their cell–cell adhesion and are less invasive; E-cadherin expression is reduced in undifferentiated cancers, which have lost their cell–cell adhesion and have strong invasive and metastatic tendencies [21]
Summary
Pancreatic carcinoma is a lethal disease, and the incidence rates are almost equal to the mortality rates. The disruption of cell–cell adhesion is one of the important factors that results in the invasion and metastasis of carcinoma cells. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a phenomenon where the epithelial features of cells change to mesenchymal features, which can induce the loss of their cell polarity; this is associated with invasion and metastasis [1, 2]. E-cadherin, one of the factors associated with the EMT, is a member of the transmembrane glycoprotein family that is responsible for epithelial cell–cell adhesion, and the molecule is expressed by epithelial cells [3]. The loss of E-cadherin expression is related to the survival and prognosis of a number of cancers, such as extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, pulmonary adenocarcinoma and pancreatic carcinoma [6]
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