BACKGROUND: To evaluate the relationship between E-cadherin and recurrence, relapse free survival, overall survival and TNM system in patients operated on for colorectal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: This study included 89 patients (41 men and 48 women, mean age 62.3 years) who underwent colorectal ressection for adenocarcinoma. Of these patients, 13 (14.6%) had TNM stage I disease, 29 (32.6%) stage II, 23 (25.8%) stage III and 24 (27.0%) stage IV. Sixty-seven patients had been treated by curative resection and their mean follow-up was 37.9 months. Paraffin-embedded tumor specimens were immunohistochemically stained to cadherin-E and assessed as positive and negative. RESULTS: E-cadherin was positive in 49.4% of the patients and negative for the remaining 50.6%. The disease recurred in 22.4% of the patients and there was no relation with E-cadherin expression. Likewise, there was no relationship between E-cadherin and relapse free survival or overall survival. No significant association has been show between E-cadherin (p = 0.958) and TNM system. CONCLUSION: These results do not allow us to associate Ecadherin with the TNM system and prognosis of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.
Cadherins; Colonic Neoplasms; Colorretal surgery; Colon; Adenocarcinoma; Rectum
