European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology (EJGO) is published by IMR Press from Volume 40 Issue 1 (2019). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
E-cadherin expression during progression of squamous intraepithelial lesions in the uterine cervix
Alterations of E-cadherin expression in cervical intraepithelial neoplasias and invasive carcinomas of the uterine cervix have been described by some authors but their clinical significance has not yet been clarified. Archival specimens of 27 normal cervical epithelia, 15 atypical cells of undetermined origin (ASCUS), 53 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), 19 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and six invasive squamous carcinomas were evaluated for E-cadherin expression. The cytological material was processed using liquid based cytology (ThinPrep technique) and immunostained for E-cadherin. All HPV infections (koilocytes) showed strong cell membranous E-cadherin expression. In HSIL a strong decrease in E-cadherin expression and heterogeneous distribution was noticed. In the relatively small number of squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix studied, a significant decrease or loss in E-cadherin expression, predominantly cytoplasmic, was noted. We concluded that decreased E-cadherin expression appears to be a useful parameter of malignant potential of cervical lesions. E-cadherin immunoexpression could provide an additional criterion in correlation with cyto- and histomorphology and colposcopy to define high grade CIN lesions.