P120 CATENIN EXPRESSION AND ITS CORRELATION WITH E-CADHERIN IN SALIVARY GLAND NEOPLASMS

Abstract

P120 catenin loss or altered localization has been associated with E-cadherin inactivation and poor patient prognosis in several cancers. Objectives The purposes of this study were to investigate the expression of P120 catenin in salivary gland neoplasms in correlation with E-cadherin, and examine the relationships between levels of expression and pathologic characteristics. Materials and Methods Fifty-two cases of salivary gland neoplasms, including 25 mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MEC), 13 adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC), 12 pleomorphic adenomas (PA) and 2 polymorphous adenocarcinoma (PAC) were investigated for P120 catenin and E-cadherin expression immunohistochemically. The immunoreactivity was categorized as low expression or high expression group, based on whether the positive staining was below or higher than 10% of the neoplastic cells, respectively. Findings Overall, the expression of both proteins was common in salivary gland neoplasms. P120 catenin primarily localized to the membrane of neoplastic cells in most cases. A significant correlation between levels of expression of both proteins was noted in MECs with no relationship with pathologic characteristics. In ACCs and PA, ductal cells showed positive immunoreactivity, whereas myoepithelial cells variably expressed both proteins. Overexpression of P120 catenin was detected in solid subtype of ACCs. Conclusion The cadherin-catenin complex is maintained in neoplasms of salivary gland. The differential expression of both P120 catenin and E-cadherin in this group of neoplasms appears to represent the heterogeneous population of neoplastic cells present in each tumor type.